Marta Figueiredo, PhD

Joana holds a BSc in Biology, a MSc in Evolutionary and Developmental Biology, and a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal. Her work has been focused on the impact of non-canonical Wnt signaling in the collective behavior of endothelial cells — those that make up the lining of blood vessels — found in the umbilical cord of newborns. In addition to several research fellowships, she was awarded two Erasmus scholarships to conduct part of her studies in France. She has also authored several research papers published in peer-reviewed international scientific journals. Joana joined Bionews in 2018, starting as a science writer, then moving to a science editor position in 2020, and to editorial associate director of resource pages in 2025.

Education

• PhD, Biomedical Sciences, specialty of Molecular and Cellular Biology
• MSc, Evolutionary and Developmental Biology
• BSc, Biology, speciality Evolutionary and Developmental Biology

Certifications

• ICH Good Clinical Practice E6 (R2)

Published Works

• Non-canonical Wnt signaling regulates junctional mechanocoupling during angiogenic collective cell migration. eLife · 2019
• YAP and TAZ regulate adherens junction dynamics and endothelial cell distribution during vascular development. eLife · 2018
• Endothelial cell dynamics in vascular remodelling. Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation · 2016

Professional Accomplishments

• Awarded 2 Erasmus scholarships, several research fellowships, a scholarship conference award, and an honorable mention.

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