Assistant Professor FCT/UNL

Molecular Microbiology & Genomics Research Group @ UCIBIO

ResearcherID (WoK): A-4053-2008 (> 5700 citations; h-index 23)

Scopus author ID: 54402224100 (> 6550 citations; h-index 25)

orcid.org/0000-0002-7799-0183

http://docentes.fct.unl.pt/cm-pinheiro/

Since 2021 Chair of the European Plant Phenotyping-Research Infrastructure.

Since 2017 member of the EMPHASIS support group (European Infrastructure for Plant Phenotyping).

Since 2020 Coordinator of EMPHASIS-PT.

Associate Editor for Frontiers in Plant Science, Theoretical and Experimental Plant Physiology and Journal of Plant Growth Regulation.

Since 2015 involved in Science Communication and Scientific Culture Promotion events such as the exhibition "Etnobotânica - Plantas & Património Cultural", the European Union Science Olympiads and "VemVer" Tutorial Program. 

Research Area of Interest

Profiling value-added bioactive compounds from plant-derived resources for biotechnological and therapeutical applications.

Characterization of the genetic diversity of species of forest and agricultural of interest in relation to nutritional value and yield as well as technological, biotechnological and biomedical applications.

Evaluation of seed development, yield and nutritional quality as affected by multiple stressors by phenotyping and biochemical tools.

Evaluation of carbon metabolism in plants (photosynthesis, primary metabolism, cellular distribution) affected by multiple stressors.

Multiscale approach to plant growth and productivity making use of physiological, biochemical and omic´s tools.

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In recent years CPinheiro has promoted the use of Portuguese germplasm as a source of useful traits for agriculture and forestry. In Portugal, finding local genotypes and wild relatives displaying high phenotypic plasticity is possible. The phenotype of interest is controlled by the molecular traits that, when identified, are incorporated into breeding programs. The screening of genetic diversity is an initial goal in agricultural biotechnology and allows for knowledge acquisition.
The phenotypic plasticity has been evaluated for resilience, i.e. some genotypes cope successfully in a given environment while others perish; productivity, i.e. only a few genotypes can produce high yields in contrasting environments; technological abilities, i.e. others use than food and feed.