Dr. Regina Menezes, began her scientific career with BSc and MSc degrees in Biological Sciences – Genetics followed by a PhD in Genetics at Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ) and Heinrich Heine Universität Düsseldorf (HHU). During her PhD she studied the molecular switch governing galactose metabolism in yeasts. In 2003 she joined the Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica (ITQB) in Portugal as a postdoctoral fellow aiming to broaden her expertise in yeast biology, particularly in the field of metal stress responses. She is currently affiliated to Instituto de Biologia Experimental e Tecnológica (iBET)/ITQB. Her work is focused on the study of the molecular mechanisms underlying human diseases as well as cellular protection mechanisms triggered by phytochemicals using humanized yeasts models of neurodegeneration, inflammation, cancer, type II diabetes and hematological diseases. She has participated in seven national and international research projects aiming at deciphering the molecular networks governing yeast stress responses. The most recent is the EC-funded project BacHBerry-FP7-KBBE, whose main objective is the bioprospection and synthetic production of berry phenolics in bacterial factories. She has published seventeen papers in international peer-reviewed journals, one book chapter and sixteen abstracts in peer-reviewed international journals. She has also actively participated in many international and national scientific meetings, in which she has delivered seven oral presentations and presented more than twenty-five posters. She has supervised one post-doc fellow, two PhD students, six young researchers, three MSc students and several final-year undergraduate students. She has participated in the Editorial board and as ad-hoc referee of several scientific journals and her active participation in the EU Proteostasis COST Action and EU consortium projects have made possible building a wide collaboration network.
