Maria Fernandes Pinheiro
I was born and raised in Portugal and moved to Scotland with my family as a teenager. I then underwent my undergraduate studies in the University of Glasgow where I obtained an MSci in Molecular and cellular biology (with biotechnology). I also had the opportunity to work in the James Hutton institute in Dundee as part of my Master’s. I am now based at Lancaster University for my PhD!
I am interested and have a background in molecular plant biology. I am excited by research with potential downstream biotechnological applications with the ultimate goal of improving crops for increased global food security. My PhD project consists of investigating the role and synthesis pathway for Rubisco inhibitor CA1P. I hope to elucidate key enzymes that play a part in CA1P formation and to also understand why this inhibitor is synthesised. In doing so, I hope to expand on the pool of current Rubisco regulation knowledge.