I am an Emeritus Professor of the University of Lisbon and Distinguished Full Professor of Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), University of Lisbon, Portugal. I was the Founding Head (2011) of Department of Bioengineering and the Founding Director (2013) of the Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences at IST. 
UNIVERSITY EDUCATION AND FACULTY POSITIONS: Diploma in Chemical Engineering (1976), PhD (1982) and Habilitation (1988) from IST. Post-doctoral study at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (1983-4); faculty positions: Assistant (1983-6), Associate (1986-91) and Full Professor (1992). I was the first Distinguished Professor (2015) at IST. 
RESEARCH INTERESTS AND OUTPUTS: I l has authored more than 600 original research articles, review articles, book chapters and books in biotechnology and bioprocess engineering with higher than 15 thousand citations (WoS h index 59) and supervised 60 PhD students and more than 30 post-doctoral associates. My research activities are focused on cell production platforms for the ex-vivo expansion of stem cells and/or their controlled differentiation into specific cell types and micro-tissues, as well as their integration with bioseparation and high-resolution purification technologies. The goal is to generate large numbers of specific and high quality stem/progenitor cell subsets needed for Regenerative Medicine settings as well as to develop in vitro models for disease modelling and drug testing. His lab has established an international track record in Stem Cell Engineering, as assessed by WTEC, on behalf of NSF, NIST and NIH (The International Assessment of Research in Biological Engineering and Manufacturing 2015; The International Assessment of R&D in Stem Cell Engineering 2013). 
LEARNING AND SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES: I am Member of the Portuguese Academy of Engineering (1999-); Corresponding Member of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences (2015-); a Founding Member of Sociedade Portuguesa de Biotecnologia (1981) and President (1987-92); Founding Member of Sociedade Portuguesa de Células Estaminais e Terapia Celular (2005), Vice-President (2006), President (2009-10); Founding Member and President of the Portuguese Association for the Development of Cellular Agriculture; Member of the European Federation of Biotechnology (EFB) Section on Applied Biocatalysis (1985-), Chairman (1990-5) and Honorary Member (2005-); Member of the Executive Committee of the EFB Section on Biochemical Engineering Science (1999-2004) and Chairman of its Task Group on Biotransformation (1996-2004); Member of the Steering Committee of the Process Integration in Biochemical Engineering Programme of the European Science Foundation (1992-6); Member of the Executive Committee of the European Biochemical Engineering Network (1993-6); Founding Member (2013) of the European Society of Biochemical Engineering Science and chair of the Regenerative Medicine Manufacturing Section; Member of the Scientific Board of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society Thematic Group on Bioreactor Technologies (2013). 
ADVISORY AND EVALUATION COMMITTEES: I have been serving several scientific committees. European Commission: Portuguese Delegate of the Biotechnology Framework Programme IV (1994-8) and Member of the Product and Process Engineering Evaluation Panel of the European Research Council¿Advanced Grants (2009-14); ANR-French National Research Agency; Biotechnology and Biological Sciences, Medical and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Councils, UK; Member of the Biotechnology Strategy Group of the European Academies¿ Science Advisory Council, The Royal Society (2002-2006); President of the Scientific Council of Exact and Engineering Sciences of the Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (2010¿2013). Coordinator of the Peer Review Committee of the Biotechnology and Biological Engineering Research Grants of the Portuguese Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (2007-2013); Member (2014-2020) of the Amgen Bioprocessing Center Advisory Board at Keck Graduate Institute, School of Applied Life Sciences, Claremont, California, USA.