I received my PhD in 2012 from the University of Porto. My main research effort was focused on the development of novel methods for detection and identification of phytopathogenic Xanthomonas spp.
My current research interests include the optimization of in silico-based approaches for the selection of taxa-specific DNA markers; the phylogenetic analysis of pathogen-specific regions; and the use of comparative genomics to predict the specificity and stability of DNA signatures. This research is aimed to develop fine-tune DNA-based tools to track bacteria in the environment, contributing to better characterize their ecology and life style.