University of Cambridge
Downing Street
Cambridge CB2 3EA
Websites:
Biography:
Mariana's role in the Department is to coordinate CambPlants, a Cambridge University initiative that provides an umbrella for activities with relevance to plants as contributors to food, energy, materials, health and ecosystem services.
Aims
- to develop internal and external synergies and partnerships
- to foster interdisciplinary interactions across Cambridge University and support funding applications
- to intensify collaborative activities with the Strategic Initiatives and Networks
- to inform and interact with public, government and NGOs
- to provide advice and guidance for impact case studies
Research Interests
Mariana has a degree in Biological Engineering from Technical University of Lisbon (2003) and a PhD from the University of Strathclyde with Masterfoods (2008), investigating novel fungal protein sources for food applications. She worked as a PDRA in several habioprocessing and fermentation processes, including an FP7 funded project, SeaBiotech - seeking to understand and develop successful industrial exploitation of promising activities in marine microorganisms (Images of Research participation).
Parallel to her research, Mariana was also a key team member who put forward the successful bid to the Scottish Funding Council for the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre, IBioIC. In October 2013 she was awarded an EPSRC Impact Accelerator Account grant to exploit integrated and flexible product mix fermentation processes for food, feed and fuel from a single low cost cereal substrate which has led to the spin-out company 3F-bio.