Ana Maria Gomes is Associate Professor at Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Escola Superior de Biotecnologia (ESB-UCP); she is currently member of the Directive Board of the Research Center, CBQF, and member of the Ethics Committee of UCP – Porto Regional Centre and of the Management Board of Integralar - Knowledge division (PortugalFoods), both in representation of ESB-UCP. She got her degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences from University of Coimbra in 1990, and her PhD degree in Biotechnology (Food Science and Technology) from ESB-UCP in 1999. She has co-authored +120 papers in international journals and has supervised/co-supervised 14 PhD theses.

Her major research interests focus:

1. development, characterization and biological validation of nutraceutical ingredients and functional foods (dairy, legume and cereal-based);
2. valorization of marine-derived by-products and resources (algae);
3. use of probiotic strains as cell factories, and
4. micro- or nanoencapsulation. Her teaching activity involves Biochemistry, Nutrition and Health and Pharmacodynamics and Nutrition.