Eduarda Morais is 26 years old, and got a Bachelor’s Degree in Biotechnology and a Master’s Degree in Industrial Biotechnology at the University of Aveiro, Portugal. Currently, she is in the 3rd year of PhD in Chemical Engineering at CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials, at the University of Aveiro.
Here, she came to share a little of her academic path, her research work, as well as her opinion about what is the most stimulating and challenging in the life of a scientist.
What was your dream profession as a child?
Good question, I changed my mind constantly. But I would probably like to be a kind of explorer.
What was your academic background and how important was it for your present/future?
I think my academic path, especially when I started to focus on industrial biotechnology, made me realize how much I liked this scientific area, especially the green chemistry and improvement or innovation in the industrial process.
If you could go back, what would you change in your career and academic life?
Honestly, I don't think it would change anything. I would probably say to stress less, but this is something we only learn from experience.
Briefly, what does your research work consist of, and why did you choose this area?
My PhD focuses on the use of alternative solvents (which are greener than the solvents conventionally used in industry) for the extraction or transformation of polysaccharides - the biggest alternative to oil for the production of materials, chemicals and fuels nowadays. The objective for the future is to have a process that not only uses greener solvents but also more sustainable raw materials as an alternative to oil, such as lignocellulosic biomass, among others. Then we focus on the competitiveness part of the process, we want to have a process that is economically and efficiently viable when compared to those that already exist in the industry.
In your opinion, what is the most stimulating thing in research VS the biggest challenges / difficulties in research? Did you ever imagine being where you are?
I think that, nowadays, a PhD is something that almost everyone can aspire to, as long as we work for it. Fortunately it is no longer just for a very select number of people. Undoubtedly, what I like most about research is this - "to investigate". Put hypotheses and test them. Of course, this leads to ups and downs - when the hypothesis is correct and we have good results, for example improvements in yields or in the process, it is quite rewarding, but the reverse also happens. In research, we can easily spend months or even longer periods of time trying to get results which can be quite frustrating.
What advice would you give to people who are thinking about going to study Biotechnology (or another area of science), to those who are studying, and to recent graduates?
I would say to take advantage of the interdisciplinarity of the course, which for me will always be an advantage. The biotechnology course gives us the opportunity to contact with various areas such as engineering, chemistry, biology, etc. and then, it is possible to realize what we really like most and adapt. But more generally, for anyone who is studying, I think I can only advise you to enjoy the experience and not worry too much about what the future holds for now. I think it is better if you explore the various options that really exist. This way, when you graduate or have to taper your training a little more (by doing for instance a master's Degree or a PhD), you can be better informed about what you like or dislike. I would also say to bet on skills that are not taught at the university, by being part of associations, going to soft-skills workshops, etc., because it’ll be very important both in research and in the business environment.
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