marinafreitas
I am a biomedical scientist, researcher, scientific editor, and entrepreneur with an interdisciplinary background spanning space biomedicine, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, bioinformatics, astronomy, and open science. I am the Founder, CEO, and President of the LIASTRA Institute (www.liastra.com) and the Founder and Research Director of the International Center for Biomedical & Space Sciences (ICBS).
I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Aveiro (Portugal), where I received a merit scholarship and conducted research at the iBiMED – Institute of Biomedicine. I am currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Neuroscience while also completing advanced studies in Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, and Machine Learning. I have also completed postgraduate specializations in Astronomy with emphasis on Planetology and Data Science, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence.
My research interests focus on space biomedicine, neuroinflammation, neuroplasticity, behavioral neuroscience, multi-omics, bioinformatics, Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers, molecular oncology, artificial intelligence for biomedical research, and translational neuroscience. I currently collaborate with the NASA GeneLab / Open Science Data Repository (OSDR) Multi-Omics Analysis Working Group, contributing to international open-science initiatives in space biology.
I have authored and co-authored scientific articles, book chapters, conference abstracts, and systematic reviews in neuroscience, molecular oncology, space medicine, artificial intelligence, and biomedical sciences. My publications are indexed in databases including Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. I also serve as a scientific reviewer for The International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology (Elsevier) and as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Biomedical & Space Sciences (JBSS).
Beyond research, I am deeply engaged in science communication, scientific education, and international collaboration. I have presented research at international conferences, participated in the NASA Space Apps Challenge, completed the NASA Transform to Open Science (TOPS) program, and contributed to NASA partner citizen-science initiatives through the International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC), including the provisional discovery of asteroid candidates and participation in asteroid search campaigns.
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