Helena Maria Pinheiro, PhD

Helena Maria Pinheiro obtained an MEng in Chemical Engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), University of Lisbon. She further received an MSc in Biochemical Engineering and a PhD in Chemical Engineering , both from IST, the latter on whole-cell biocatalysis in the production of biopharmaceuticals. She is presently Associate Professor at IST, teaching Environmental (Bio)Technology, Bioprocess Engineering and Bioengineering Plant Design. She has integrated several management boards at IST, including departmental executive boards, and IST’s Scientific Council and School Assembly. Her research interests are centered on the use of whole-cell bioreactors for industrial and environmental applications. She has coordinated or integrated several R&D projects on immobilized-cell bioconversions and on the use of mixed-culture, sequencing-batch bioreactors for the biodegradation of synthetic chemicals (dyes, surfactants). Her interests further include the application of spectrometry and chemometrics to bioprocess and wastewater quality monitoring. She has integrated several expert teams evaluating national and international research contracts, both at proposal and implementation stages. She has led or integrated IST teams in several technology transfer or cooperation contracts with public service providers and private companies, mainly on the subjects of wastewater biotreatment and quality monitoring.