We’re thrilled to welcome three new master students to our lab! 
Read below to get to know them and hear their perspective on what this new chapter means to them.
José Rufino completed his Bachelor’s degree in Applied Chemistry at NOVA FCT in 2025. During his undergraduate studies, he had the opportunity to undertake an internship in the field of quality control and mining waste analysis, as well as to develop his final Bachelor’s project in the fields of nanotechnology and green chemistry.
In the same year, José began his Master’s degree in Biochemistry for Health at NOVA FCT, NMS, and ITQB. He is currently working in the Biomolecular Engineering Lab, where he is developing his Master’s thesis in the field of Parkinson’s disease diagnostics. His research aims to contribute to a better understanding of Parkinson’s disease and to explore approaches for its early diagnosis, ideally before the onset of clinical symptoms.
Lara Franco completed her bachelor’s degree in Applied Chemistry at NOVA School of Science and Technology. During her undergraduate studies, she developed a multidisciplinary background combining chemistry, biochemistry, and computational approaches, gaining experience in both experimental and computational research. Her academic work included a research project related to Alzheimer’s disease, involving drug synthesis, enzymatic activity studies, and molecular docking. She also completed an internship at Tintas Robbialac, where she gained experience in an industrial laboratory environment and further developed her practical and analytical skills. Lara has now joined the Biomolecular Engineering Lab to work on the Computational Design of Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents for Supramolecular Adhesive Applications project. Through this project, she is particularly interested in developing her skills in molecular modelling and computational chemistry and exploring the use of computational approaches to better understand and design Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents. Outside the laboratory, Lara is passionate about dance and marketing and enjoys developing her communication, teamwork, and leadership skills through the different projects she is involved in.
Etore Netto is an undergraduate student in Chemical Engineering at the Escola Politécnica da Universidade de São Paulo (Poli-USP). Previously, he served as Vice President of the Chemical Engineering Association (AEQ-USP), where he developed leadership and project management skills. Currently, his research focuses on developing a novel approach for the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease, particularly ulcerative colitis.
Welcome Etore, José and Lara!