Tell us about the work you’ll be doing at CCMAR. 
Under the frame of an FCT PhD Scholarship (2020.7476.BD), my work will focus on vitamin K and its mechanisms involving vascular calcification. I will study the association of vitamin k dependent proteins with chronic kidney disease and coronary artery disease. My main aim will be the establishment of a new biomarker for cardiovascular risk assessment. 

What were you doing before you joined us? 
Right after finishing my master’s degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2017, I started to work as a Pharmacist in a Community Pharmacy in my hometown. During this time, I realised the true impact of cardiovascular disease on people’s quality of life, and the thought of helping people through other fields nurture even more. Two years later, I worked as a research technician in an MSc research fellowship “ALGARED5E+” in CCMAR and currently, I am involved in several research projects, as a team member, with the FBP-CCMAR research group at CCMAR. 

What do you enjoy doing outside work? 
I am part of a women’s football team called Machados in São Brás de Alportel-Faro, so I spend most of my free time playing football with friends. I also love to exercise, and running is one of my favourites things to do, especially if I have company.