Carla Teixeira is a researcher currently working in the Pastrana Group at the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), where she moved in 2024. She initially joined INL's Food Quality & Safety (FQ&S) group in May 2023 as a Research Fellow, contributing to the development of micro Total Analysis System (µTAS) solutions for the rapid and accurate detection of specific olive oil varieties and allergenic ingredients. Her work is part of the TITAN project – Transparency solutions for transforming the food system – funded by Horizon Europe (Grant Agreement: 101060739).

Carla’s research path began with a scientific initiation internship at the University of Porto (UP), Portugal, which sparked her interest in science and led her to pursue a BSc in Biochemistry at the University of Minho (UM). She completed her undergraduate studies on exchange at Robert Gordon University (RGU) in the United Kingdom, where she conducted her honours project on the effects of rapeseed pomace on DNA repair and stability in breast cancer cells.

Following a gap year volunteering in Lithuania, Carla returned to Portugal to undertake a Master’s in Food Science & Technology at UP, co-tutored with UM. Her master’s thesis, carried out at the FQ&S group at INL, focused on the development of a microfluidic device for DNA extraction and purification from grapevine samples, which resulted in a peer-reviewed publication.