Biography

Susana Loureiro is an Associate Professor with Habilitation in the Biology Department at the University of Aveiro. She also serves as the coordinator of the Research Group ECHC- Environmental Changes, Hazards and Conservation at CESAM (Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies). Her academic journey began with undergraduate studies in Biology at the University of Coimbra, followed by an MSc in Ecology at the same institution. In 2000, she started a PhD program in Biology at the University of Aveiro, focusing on the hazard assessment of soils from the Jales Mine in the northeast of Portugal. In 2005, Susana Loureiro was appointed as an Assistant Researcher at the University of Aveiro, holding positions at both CESAM and the Department of Biology. Her primary research interests encompass various aspects, including mixture toxicity assessment, combined effects of chemicals and natural stressors, multigenerational effects, long-term impacts, and nano-ecotoxicology, focusing on the fate and effects of nanomaterials. Over the years, Susana Loureiro has taken on key roles as the Principal Investigator (PI) or UAVR-PI in numerous national and international funded projects related to mixture and combined stressors toxicity (such as WE-NEED-WaterJPI, AGROMIX-FCT, and CliMAFUN-FCT), nanomaterials toxicity and fate (including NanoHarmony-H2020, NanoFATE-FP7, NanoFASE-Horizon2020, and NanoFARM-ERANET SIINN FP7), multigenerational effects (RePulse-FCT), trophic chain transfer of chemicals (FUTRICA-FCT), and the improvement of tools for monitoring water quality (PortoNOVO-EU-InterREG). Recently, she has assumed the role of UA PI in two industry-led projects: NATURAL, which focuses on nanoclays for phosphate removal and reuse as a fertilizer, and NETA, which explores innovative strategies for wastewater treatment. Susana Loureiro is nowadays the Training Manager and Supervisor for one Early Stage Researcher (ESR) within the Innovative Training Network, Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions-CHRONIC project, which examines chronic exposure scenarios driving environmental risks associated with chemicals. She is also the UA PI of PARC- European Partnership for the Assessment of Risks from Chemicals (HEUROPE), ETERNAL HEUROPE on boosting the reduction of the environmental impact of pharmaceutical products throughout their entire life cycle, and the INSECTERA- The Era of Insect Industry, financed by the PRR and Next Generation EU. Throughout her career, she has made significant contributions to the field, having authored more than 220 papers (with an h-index of 40). She has also successfully supervised 20 PhD students and 30 MSc students. Beyond her research work, Susana Loureiro was till 2023 an active member of the Science for Environment Policy Advisory Group, where she reviews studies for inclusion in the News Alert. She represents the University of Aveiro in the Portuguese Technical Commission for Nanotechnologies CT 194 and sits on the Steering Group of the EU NanoSafety Cluster. She has been invited to serve as a reviewer for projects and grants by various international institutions, including CAPES/CNPq (Brazil), ANR (France), NRF, CSUR (South Africa), Czech Science Foundation (Czech Republic), FWO (The Netherlands), and the Croatian Science Foundation (Croatia). In her capacity in academic education, Susana Loureiro imparts knowledge through courses on Toxicology and Ecotoxicology, Bioindicators of Pollution, Environmental Physiology, and Entomology. She also leads the research team applEE-SL (@applEE - applied Ecology and Ecotoxicology Lab), comprising 29 members, including 7 contracted researchers, 12 PhD and 9 MSc students, and a degree student. She is a member of the European Council of SETAC- Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry and in May 2024 she will become SETAC Vice-President (by election).