Bruna Costa is a postdoctoral researcher with a degree in Biology & a PhD in Biomedical Engineering (May 2024) from the University of Porto (UPorto), Portugal. Currently, B. Costa is Junior Researcher at Bioengineered Surfaces group, at the Institute for Research & Innovation in Health (i3S, UPorto). Her research emphasis is on Biological Sciences, Microbiology, Medical Biotechnology, Biomaterials, & Nanotechnology areas. Her PhD studies were conducted at i3S & the University of Navarra, Spain, under the supervision of Prof.Cristina Martins & Prof. Guillermo Martinez-de-Tejada, respectively. During the PhD, she explored antimicrobial peptide-based coatings to fight orthopedic infections, providing new insights for developing alternative therapeutics to fight resistant bacteria. Her studies were validated in vitro & in vivo, envisaging high application potential in the real world. B. Costa has extensive experience with natural polymers (chitosan &cyanobacterial polymers), synthetic polymers (polyurethane, PDMS), carbon materials (carbon nanotubes, graphene), & antimicrobial compounds (peptides, antibiotics) with applications in the medical field. B. Costa is contributing significantly to the advancement of scientific knowledge & to the generation of ground-breaking ideas. She is the author of 9 peer-reviewed articles published in Q1 international journals (6 as 1st author) & 1 book chapter (1st author, Springer Nature). Furthermore, she has 2 papers as 1st author submitted in top journals. Her MSc thesis results were included in 1 patent granted in Europe (EP3762054B1) & submitted internationally (WO/2019/171344A1). She has actively engaged in 4 national & international R&D projects & 5 technology transfer programs. B. Costa has participated in several science outreach activities, especially engaging young students. She has participated in 28 national& international conferences as a participant (total of 16 oral presentations as 1st author (14 as presenter) & 12 poster presentations as 1st author (10 as presenter)) & as a volunteer in the conference's organization. Moreover, her contributions to society extend beyond academia through technological development &innovation activities, science dissemination, & active collaboration with industry & academia, ensuring a broad impact on both scientific & societal levels. She has also played a crucial role in training young researchers, & her influence extends to ad-hoc reviewer activities, & the evaluation of projects & BSc/MSc theses, among otherscientific activities. Over the past 4 years, she mentored 8 research trainees & was part of the evaluation panel of 4 presentations of high school trainees (2024) & 1 BSc graduation project (2024). B. Costa participated in more than 7 seminars as an invited speaker. Over the years, she has also received 7 awards recognizing both her scientific merit, & communication skills, including the prestigious Oral Innovation Award prize of 3 K€ by AstraZeneca Foundation. B. Costa has also experience teaching both at high school & BSC/MSc level, as an invited lecturer at a local high school, & as Assistant Professor (2023-24), at Escola Superior de Saúde, Politécnico do Porto. B. Costa has a solid collaboration network with national/international academic & industry partners, namely with the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory, Braga, PT (A. Lopes), Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, ES (A. Jimenez), Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin, IRE (H. Shahrour), & Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK (K. Whitehead).