Academic degrees: PhD in Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (1996), Wageningem University, The Netherlands | MSc in Immunology (1992), University of Porto, Portugal/Free University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Current professional activity: Full  Professor, ICBAS - University of Porto, Portugal | Principal Investigator, I3S/IBMC. Pass and Present research interests: My early research has focused on the evolution of the immune system. I have studied the MHC class I expression and function in lower vertebrates. Presently, the interaction between the immune system and iron metabolism is my main scientific interest. With the help of in vivo models for iron modulation and bacterial infection, I intend to investigate the interaction between the two systems at the molecular level. Understanding the function of genes that play a dual role in iron metabolism and immune response is the goal of my current research.