Personal Presentation

Full Professor at ICBAS – University of Porto and Integrated Researcher at the CIIMAR Interdisciplinary Centre of Marine and Environmental Research.

He holds a BSc in Aquatic Environmental Sciences from ICBAS (graduating with 18/20 and the Eng.º António Almeida Foundation Award), a PhD in Biomedical Sciences, and the Title of Agregado (Habilitation) in Histology and Embryology, having passed his Pedagogical Aptitude and Scientific Capacity examinations with distinction. He also completed the modules from the first to the third year of the Medicine degree (with an average grade of 17/20).

He began his scientific career in October 1987 as a trainee at the Laboratory of Cell Biology (under the mentorship of Prof. Carlos Azevedo) and was awarded an INIC research fellowship in 1989. In December of the same year, he began his teaching career as a Teaching Assistant (Monitor) of Cell Biology. In 1991, following a public competition, he was appointed Assistant Lecturer of Histology and Embryology (mentor: Prof. Rogério Monteiro), eventually reaching the peak of his academic career as a Full Professor in December 2008.

Since 1991, he has held various management positions at ICBAS, CIIMAR, and in support of the central structures of the University of Porto. At ICBAS, he was a member of the Pedagogical Council for 30 years (serving as its President for 8 years) and a member of the Scientific Council for 25 years. He has also served as Director of second and third-cycle degree programmes, as well as Head of Laboratory and Department. At CIIMAR, he served on the Board of Directors for 7 years and as President of the General Assembly for 6 years. Currently, he is the Director of the Laboratory of Histology and Embryology (ICBAS) and Principal Investigator of the AMTOX – Animal Morphology and Toxicology research group (CIIMAR).

His teaching activities include coordinating and lecturing on course units in Human and Comparative Histology and Embryology, Research and Communication Methods, Exposure and Fate of Xenobiotics in the Organism, and Toxicopathology of Aquatic Animals.

His research focuses on the intersection of Environmental Health and Biomedical Science, examining the impact of environmental contaminants—particularly endocrine and metabolic disruptors—on aquatic life. His work combines analyses of toxicity mechanisms in the livers and gonads of fish with assessments of natural seasonal changes in these organs. Additionally, he addresses a key Public Health issue: how these disruptors may interfere with the therapeutic efficacy of anti-cancer drugs.

He has supervised or co-supervised over 45 Master’s dissertations and 20 PhD theses. He is the author or co-author of more than 225 articles in indexed international journals and 8 book chapters, with an h-index (Scopus) of 41.

Overall, his career combines sustained scientific productivity, leadership in academic governance, and a strong commitment to training the next generation of researchers.

Áreas de Interesse

1. Natural sciences > Biological sciences > Biology > Histology
2. Natural sciences > Biological sciences > Biology > Cell biology
3. Health sciences > Pharmacological sciences > Toicology
4. Natural sciences > Environmental science > Ecology > Ecotoxicology
5. Natural sciences > Biological sciences > Zoology > Animal morphology
6. Natural sciences > Biological sciences > Zoology > Animal physiology