Diogo Silva

My name is Diogo Vieira da Silva and my scientific journey started with a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry (Universidade do Porto) in 2018. During the degree, I’ve developed my interests in clinical microbiology, immunology and oncology and decided to deepen my knowledge in the mentioned scientific fields. I also had the possibility to research the dynamics of cytokine expression and its impact on ageing, under the supervision of Dr. Margarida Saraiva, during my internship. I further pursued my academic studies and enrolled in the Cellular and Molecular Biology Master’s program (Universidade de Coimbra), during which I had the opportunity to solidify my interest in the fields of science mentioned, as well as the unique chance to temporarily integrate different research groups focused on diabetes and obesity, and medical microbiology, respectively, during the course of the master’s degree. In its last year, I had the opportunity to integrate the Body Barrier Immunometabolism group at CNC, where I developed my dissertation titled “The Role of Micronutrients in Unconventional T cells: How RA-signalling controls iNKT cell development”, under the supervision of Dr. Manuela Ferreira, with whom I worked with for the past year and a half, at CNC-UCBIOTECH.
In conclusion, my journey in science gave me the chance to find my passion for the fields of immunology, infection and diseases; to develop and hone my skills in cell culture, flow cytometry, PCR techniques and retroviral transduction, in particular; as was well as develop competencies in elaborating protocols and scientific reports, experiment management and improve other soft skills such as autodidacticism and lab team cooperation.