Expertise: Molecular biology and physiology of Yeasts.
Short Bio:
Bárbara Coelho is currently a PhD student developing her scientific work as a member of the Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences. Having completed a Master’s degree in Microbiology at Instituto Superior Técnico (2022), Bárbara’s work focuses on studying the molecular players governing tolerance to SO2 in wine Yeasts. While working her way through yeast physiology, leveraging mostly on molecular biology and bioinformatics, she aims to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the response of these yeast species to wine preservatives, with the ultimate purpose of improving winemaking practices for a more environmentally friendly wine production. Furthermore, it is also the objective of her work to develop new strategies, alternative to SO2, that can be used for successful wine preservation.
Research Focus:
Molecular basis of SO2 tolerance in Sacharomyces cerevisiae and Sacharomycodes ludwigii wine yeasts.
SMARTWINE 2.0 – Tailoring 2-in-1 new Yeast starter cultures for production of distinct “greenly-preserved” wines (2022.06777.PTDC)
Lage, P., Coelho, B. B., Mira, N. P., & Mendes-Ferreira, A. (2023). A Genome-Wide Phenotypic Analysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae’s Adaptive Response and Tolerance to Chitosan in Conditions Relevant for Winemaking. Fermentation, 9(2), 172. https://doi.org/10.3390/fermentation9020172