Paula Parreira (b. 1984) holds a degree in Microbiology from Universidade Católica Portuguesa (Portugal), completed in 2007. That same year, she joined the research group of Prof. M. Cristina Martins at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering of the University of Porto (INEB). Between 2007 and 2013, she pursued her PhD under the supervision of Prof. M. Cristina Martins and Prof. Deborah Leckband (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA). During her international training, she specialized in Atomic Force Microscopy techniques to investigate and characterize bacterial interactions, particularly adhesion-ligand complexes. Her doctoral research provided novel insights into alternative therapeutic strategies for Helicobacter pylori infection, including the design of pathogen-specific binding surfaces aimed at facilitating targeted bacterial elimination.

Following the completion of her PhD, Paula Parreira joined the Bioactives Research Group at the Centro de Biotecnologia Agrícola e Agro-Alimentar do Alentejo (CEBAL), where she worked as a Postdoctoral Researcher from 2014 to 2016. Her research focused on assessing the antimicrobial potential of phytochemicals derived from industrial by-products—specifically from the paper and cheese sectors—against multidrug-resistant bacteria, embracing a circular economy framework.

In 2017, she became a member of the Bioengineered Surfaces group at i3S and currently holds a CEECind Associate Researcher position funded by FCT. Her current research is dedicated to the development of advanced strategies for the prevention and treatment of gastric infections.

Paula Parreira is committed to patient-focused research with an emphasis on innovation and translational outcomes that contribute to human health improvement. With a strong foundation in biomedical engineering and driven by a problem-solving mindset and a commitment to human health, her work bridges biophysics, microbiology, and biomedical engineering.