🚀 Research Programme & Bioinformatics specialist

Coordinate complex research programmes, and apply bioinformatics expertise to projects—bridging management and science.

📍 UK/EU – open to remote

👉 Let’s connect — schedule a chat

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EXPERIENCE

Senior Science Officer - ELIXIR Europe
January 2025 - Present

• Support the ELIXIR Compute and Data Platforms by delivering technical contributions to the ELIXIR Scientific Programme and externally funded projects.
• Coordinate multi-partner deliverables, risks and reporting across EOSC projects (ENTRUST, OSCARS, FIDELIS, STEERS).
• Support development of trusted research infrastructures for sensitive health data; align ethics, security and interoperability.
• Shape best practices for FAIR data, software sustainability, and open-science adoption across the ELIXIR network.
• Contribute to grant proposals, impact frameworks and cross-programme integration.
• Facilitate Open Science, data reproducibility, and software reusability across European life sciences by engaging with ELIXIR Nodes and stakeholders.
• Conduct background research on emerging technologies, contribute to grant proposals, and provide scientific insights for ELIXIR’s research infrastructure.

Bioinformatician / Data Scientist - Prana-Tech, Ltd
September 2023 - December 2024

• Developed machine learning models to predict health outcomes.
• Analysed health questionnaires and blood data to generate actionable insights.
• Evaluated the feasibility of modelling approaches optimised for health data characteristics.
• Integrated ML models into healthcare applications, ensuring functionality and usability.
• Designed and implemented visualisation dashboards to improve data interpretability.

Project Manager / Junior Software Developer - PromptEquation, Lda
September 2021 - December 2024

• Managed 11 interdisciplinary projects through requirements analysis, budget optimisation and accurate documentation of customer requirements.
• Developed in the Odoo framework and adapted Python scripts to fetch data from the server.
• Developed and prepared different dashboards using open source tools (i.e. Apache Superset)
• Used BI tools and dashboards to produce detailed reports for decision making.
• Performed advanced database queries in PostgreSQL for data management and analysis.

Research Associate - Catholic University of Portugal
September 2015 - August 2021

• Performed MS-based proteomic analysis to characterise protein responses to SARS-CoV-2.
• Performed advanced data analysis and visualisation using Python and R on genomic and proteomic datasets.
• Developed custom software to store, analyse and visualise clinical data from NGS and MS sources.
• Implemented COVID-19 saliva-based diagnostic protocols integrating genomic and proteomic data.

Assistant Lecturer - Catholic University of Portugal
September 2020 - August 2021

• Supported undergraduate classes to develop critical thinking and research skills.
• Led laboratory sessions that combined hands-on experiments with computer-based bioinformatics learning.
• Delivered results-oriented classes with practical applications in proteomics and molecular biology.
• Helped establish industry–academia partnerships to give students real-world project experience.

Course	Role	Institution	Start	End
Biomolecular Laboratories II	Assistant Lecturer	Catholic University of Portugal	Sep 2020	Aug 2021
Molecular Biology	Assistant Lecturer	Catholic University of Portugal	Sep 2020	Aug 2021
Seminars Projects	Assistant Lecturer	Catholic University of Portugal	Sep 2020	Aug 2021

📆 👉 Let’s connect — schedule a chat →

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Skills

Area	Skills & Tools
Programme & Project Management	Multi-partner project coordination, deliverables/reporting, grant reporting, stakeholder alignment, Open Science/FAIR/TRE
Bioinformatics & Life Sciences	Proteomics (MS), NGS data integration, multi-omics pipelines, biomarker discovery, reproducibility (Snakemake, Nextflow basics), PRIDE/ProteomeXchange
Data Science & Analytics	Python (pandas, matplotlib, scikit-learn), R (tidyverse, ggplot2), SQL (PostgreSQL), Julia (introductory), statistics & QC, dashboards (Superset)
Software & Infrastructure	Odoo (Python), Docker, Git/GitHub, GCP basics, workflow automation, data validation scripts, metadata schemas
Teaching & Communication	University lecturing (lab & theory), mentoring BSc/MSc students, outreach & community building, cross-sector collaboration
Languages	Portuguese (native), English (IELTS B2+)

🔬 Research Projects

🧬 COVID-19 Salivary Protein Profile

Problem. Characterise host response and identify dysregulated processes in COVID-19 using saliva proteomics.
Approach. MS proteomics + PLS-DA, enrichment (FunRich), interactomics (OralInt).
Outcome. Highlighted 5 dysregulated processes; uncovered 10 proteins not previously associated with SARS-CoV-2.
Link. DOI: 10.3390/jcm11195571

Institution Project page

How Odoo helped creating a saliva tests platform in record time

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🧬 CoVTec in Saliva (Pooling Strategy)

Problem. Scale saliva testing efficiently in a regional network.
Approach. Protocol development + platform for real-time data capture and role-based access; analytics in Python.
Outcome. Validated pooling strategy and streamlined operations.
Link. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263033

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⚙️ SalivaPRINT Toolkit

Problem. Need for a standardised resource to profile salivary proteomes across conditions.
Approach. Built a reference dataset (PRIDE submissions) + software toolkit for feature extraction and biomarker discovery.
Outcome. Provided reusable resource; enabled comparative salivary proteomics studies.
Link. DOI: doi:10.3390/jcm11195571

GitHub Repository

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🦷 Oral e-Health Monitoring Platform — Co-Founder

Problem. Lack of integrated tools for monitoring oral health data longitudinally, combining patient records, omics, and clinical observations.
Approach. Co-founded the development of a platform to capture, store, and visualise oral health data in a reproducible and accessible way, aligning with FAIR principles.
Outcome. Provided a foundation for digital oral health monitoring; contributed to ongoing research in oral disease progression and prevention.

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🧬🦷 Oral Microbiome Profile in Clear Aligner Patients During Treatment

Problem. Limited knowledge of how orthodontic clear aligner therapy influences the oral microbiome composition.
Approach. Collected saliva samples from patients undergoing aligner treatment; performed shotgun proteomics and 16S rRNA profiling with clinical metadata integration.
Outcome. Identified temporal shifts in microbial communities and host–microbiome interactions during treatment, informing oral health monitoring and aligner therapy protocols.
Link. DOI: Oral Microbiota in Caries Prevention, Diagnosis and Management - Challenges and Opportunities

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🏭 Industry Projects

📊 Prana-Tech (Health Data Modelling & Dashboards)

Problem. Clinicians lacked tools to evaluate patient data quality and compliance in real time.
Approach. Designed dashboards (Superset/Metabase), integrated modelling feasibility studies on health questionnaires and blood data.
Outcome. Shortened data-to-insight cycle; improved compliance monitoring and governance traceability.

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⚙️ PromptEquation (ERP & Data Engineering)

Problem. SMEs needed custom ERP workflows and advanced reporting for operations.
Approach. Python/Odoo development, PostgreSQL analytics, project management (requirements + budgets).
Outcome. Delivered ERP modules and reproducible dashboards; reduced scope creep and improved reporting reliability.

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💡 Hackathon & Innovation

💡 Aveiro Tech City Hackathon 2024 — Challenge 2 (Bosch Portugal)

Problem. Industrial process confirmation in assembly lines and workstations is often unreliable in environments with poor internet connectivity. Bosch Portugal set the challenge of creating an autonomous and automatic system that could overcome these constraints.
Approach. Designed and prototyped a solution using Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense sensors for proximity and condition monitoring, paired with an ESP32 watch for communication and user interaction. Two deployment modes were created:

1. Standalone mode with only Arduino Nano 33 BLE Sense for lightweight confirmation.
2. Hybrid mode combining Arduino + ESP32 for broader connectivity and user feedback.
   Outcome. Delivered a functional prototype during the Hackathon that demonstrated low-cost IoT feasibility for industrial process validation. The design was applicable across gravity-based assembly lines, manual progression lines, and fixed workstations.
   Event. Aveiro Tech City Hackathon 2024 · Bosch Portugal Challenge

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Education

Degree	Institution	Dates
PhD, Biomedicine	Universidade da Beira Interior	2018 – 2023
MSc, Cell & Molecular Biology	Universidade de Aveiro	2012 – 2014
BSc, Biomedical Sciences	Universidade Católica Portuguesa	2009 – 2012

Advanced Courses

2024 - Bioinformatics for P2x Single-cell Genomics

• Focus: Single-cell analysis, wet lab techniques, data analysis in Python and R.
• Skills: Single-cell RNA sequencing, data visualization, bioinformatics pipeline development, Python and R programming.
• Certificate: Bioinformatics for P2x Single-cell Genomics

2024 - Statistical Learning with Python

• Focus: Supervised learning, regression, classification, tree-based methods.
• Skills: Ridge/Lasso, splines, SVMs, neural networks, PCA, clustering.
• Certificate: Statistical Learning with Python

2022 - Data Science

• Focus: Data preparation, machine learning, and deep learning.
• Skills: Model evaluation, comparison, Industry 4.0 applications.
• Certificate: Data Science

2019 - Data Analysis Using R

• Focus: Data analysis in R.
• Skills: Data manipulation, visualization, using R libraries.
• Certificate: Data Analysis Using R

2019 - Experimental Design and Analysis of Multivariate Data

• Focus: Multivariate data analysis and experimental design.
• Skills: Clustering, hypothesis testing, using PRIMER v6 and PERMANOVA+.
• Certificate: Experimental Design and Analysis of Multivariate Data

2018 - Computational Biology

• Focus: Computational biology for biologists and exact scientists.
• Skills: Applied mathematics, physics for biology, mini-research projects.
• Certificate: Computational Biology

2015 - Clinical Investigator Certification

• Focus: Standardizing clinical research training in Europe.
• Skills: Pharmaceutical medicine, clinical research infrastructure.
• Certificate: CLIC Certificate

📆 👉 Let’s connect — schedule a chat →

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Publications

• Esteves E, Mendes VM, Manadas B, et al. COVID-19 Salivary Protein Profile: Unravelling Molecular Aspects of SARS-CoV-2 Infection. J Clin Med. 2022;11(19):5571. Published 2022 Sep 22. doi:10.3390/jcm11195571

• Esteves E, Mendes AK, Barros M, et al. Population wide testing pooling strategy for SARS-CoV-2 detection using saliva. PLoS One. 2022;17(1):e0263033. Published 2022 Jan 28. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0263033

• Martins JE, D’Alimonte D, Simões J, Sousa S, Esteves E, Rosa N, Correia MJ, Simões M, Barros M. MODeLING.Vis: A Graphical User Interface Toolbox Developed for Machine Learning and Pattern Recognition of Biomolecular Data. Symmetry. 2023; 15(1):42. https://doi.org/10.3390/sym15010042

• Cruz I, Esteves E, Fernandes M, et al. SalivaPRINT Toolkit - Protein profile evaluation and phenotype stratification. J Proteomics. 2018;171:81-86. doi:10.1016/j.jprot.2017.08.011

• Esteves E, Rosa N, Correia MJ, Arrais JP, Barros M. New Targets for Zika Virus Determined by Human-Viral Interactomic: A Bioinformatics Approach. Biomed Res Int. 2017;2017:1734151. doi:10.1155/2017/1734151

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Leadership & Community Engagement

Board Member (Direction) — 🏸 Beira-Mar Squash Club
2022 – Present

• Coordinate organisation of tournaments and events, ensuring smooth logistics and volunteer management.
• Promoted squash in the community through open days, school visits, and initiatives for young people to try the sport.
• Collaborate with the Portuguese Squash Federation to explore new ways of improving visibility and participation nationally.
• Oversee general management activities of the club, including budgeting, sponsorship, and facility coordination.