Short Bio

I received my Bachelor’s degree in Biology from the University of Aveiro (Portugal) in 2007. Afterward, I pursued a Master’s Degree in Microbiology from the same University, which I obtained in 2008. I was awarded a Ph.D. Fellowship by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology and received my Ph.D. degree in 2013. The same year I joined the CRI and U1001 as a Postdoc where I study the genetic and environmental factors that influence the aging process of E. coli at the single-cell level, under the supervision of Ariel Lindner.

Research Interests

My broad general interest is the study of environmental stress factors as drivers of bacterial function and diversity, the mechanisms by which bacteria respond to stress and how biotic and abiotic properties affect the interaction between bacteria and stress factors. I am also interested in understanding the genetic basis of stress resistance and how the environment shapes microbial physiology and influences microbial evolution.

Selected Publications

Santos A.L., Baptista I., Gomes N.C.M., Henriques I., Almeida A., Correia A., Cunha A. (2014) Contribution of chemical water properties to the differential responses of bacterioneuston and bacterioplankton to ultraviolet-B radiation. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 87: 517-535. DOI: 10.1111/1574-6941.12239.

Santos A.L., Moreirinha C., Lopes D., Esteves A.C., Henriques I., Almeida A., Domingues M.R.M., Delgadillo I., Correia A., Cunha A. (2013) Effects of UV Radiation on the Lipids and Proteins of Bacteria Studied by Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy. Environmental Science & Technology 47: 6306-6315. DOI: 10.1021/es400660g.

Santos, A.L., Gomes, N.C.M., Henriques, I., Almeida, A., Correia, A., Cunha, A. (2013) Role of Transition Metals in UV-B Induced Damage to Bacteria. Photochemistry and Photobiology 89, 640-648. DOI: 10.1111/php.12049.

Santos, A.L., Gomes, N.C.M., Henriques, I., Almeida, A., Correia, A., Cunha, A. (2013) Growth conditions influence UVB sensitivity and oxidative damage in an estuarine bacterial isolate. Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences 12, 974-986. DOI: 10.1039/C3PP25353H.

Santos A.L., Oliveira V., Baptista I., Henriques I., Gomes N.C.M., Almeida A., Correia A., Cunha A. (2012) Effects of UV-B Radiation on the Structural and Physiological Diversity of Bacterioneuston and Bacterioplankton. Applied and Environmental Microbiology. 78, 6, 2066-2069. DOI: 10.1128/AEM.06344-11.