The HNL hosts more than 20 students from all undergraduate, master, and doctoral years, as well as post-doctoral researchers and internationally mobile students and researchers. At HNL, students have an excellent opportunity to experience a perfect start in research by entering a supervision program, which guides them towards an enriching experience at a professional and personal level. As for researchers, they have the opportunity to further their careers, develop or enhance various research skills to achieve greater autonomy, get involved in laboratory management tasks, and participate in the training of the future generation of Neuroscience researchers.

DIRECTOR
 

Patrícia Oliveira-Silva, Ph.D. (HNL Director)

@ posilva@ucp.pt | Consult CV: https://www.cienciavitae.pt/portal/C31C-A1F2-B041

I graduated in Biological Sciences with a specialization in Human Neurophysiology. My scientific career started at the end of 2014 when I completed my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Minho. Over the past decade, my career plan has focused on evolving a vibrant, inclusive, international, and interdisciplinary research ecosystem on human development within the HNL. This commitment has been centred on (i) carrying out impactful cross-disciplinary research focused on Applied Neuroscience Research, (ii) nurturing an environment that is both safe and stimulating for early-career researchers (ECR), and (iii) fostering international partnerships and collaborations in neuroscience research and education. This lab has been synonymous with my professional identity and a framework that has shaped my contributions to the field. Currently, I am the HNL director and the vice-dean of the Faculty of Education and Psychology (FEP), overseeing internationalization, research, and social responsibility.

 

SENIOR CONSULTANT
 

Ted Scharf

@ tscharf@ucp.pt | Consult CV: https://www.cienciavitae.pt/portal/C31C-A1F2-B041

Ted Scharf serves as the HNL consultant and has worked with us mainly on the Mental Health Neuroforce project. Ted is a distinguished Research Psychologist who recently retired after a commendable tenure at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he worked from 1992 to 2023. His expertise, derived from over three decades of dedicated occupational safety and health research, is invaluable to our team. His research has primarily focused on workload, stress, and the risks for injury in hazardous work environments, employing methods such as quasi-experimental research methodology, program evaluation methodology, and participatory action research. Ted is also well-versed in developing safety culture/climate and safety management systems, along with hazard recognition and creating interactive safety training for workers in hazardous environments. His insights and expertise are crucial to advancing our understanding and implementing effective mental health strategies in neuroforce work settings.

 

 

DOCTORAL RESEARCHERS

 

Patrícia Batista, Ph.D. (Post-Doctoral Researcher)

ontact: pbatista@ucp.pt | Consult CV: https://www.cienciavitae.pt/portal/CB17-644F-65AC

Patrícia Batista, Ph.D. in Biomedicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Beira Interior. Master in Experimental Pathology by the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Coimbra and Master in Personal and Social Development by the University of Beira Interior. She is currently an integrated researcher at the HNL and at the Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry Centre (CBQF) and an invited assistant professor at the Education and Psychology Faculty of catholic university Portuguesa. She is responsible for interdisciplinary projects in the areas of Psychology-Neuroscience-Biotechnology. She has participated in projects funded by FCT and ANI, and is the author of several scientific publications, collaborator on three patents and reviewer in ten scientific journals of international scope. Co-supervisor of some master theses and final course projects. She participates in several juries of scientific evaluation and is an invited lecturer at the University of Beira Interior and University of Aveiro.

 

Pedro Miguel Rodrigues, Ph.D. (Assistant Professor)

Contact: pmrodrigues@ucp.pt | Consult CV: Science vitae - 7416-BD33-8299

Pedro M. Rodrigues has a degree, a master and a PhD in Biomedical Engineering. He is currently assistant professor at the School of Biotechnology - Portuguese Catholic University (ESB-UCP), integrated member of the Centre of Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry (CBQF-UCP) and collaborator of HNL-UCP. He is regent of Bioengineering/Biomedical courses in the area of Digital Signal Processing, Digital Electronics, Computer Programming and Machine Learning at ESB-UCP. His areas of interest and research focus on the automatic diagnosis of neurodegenerative, cardiac and speech diseases based on Artificial Intelligence. He has collaborated with HNL in the analysis and advanced processing of peripheral signals for the assessment of psychotic and cognitive deficit stages.

 

Diana Pereira, Ph.D. (Researcher)

Contact: drpereira@ucp.pt | Consult CV: Science ID - 1B14-4622-ACC3

Diana R. Pereira is currently a researcher at the Human Neurobehavioral Laboratory and an invited professor of Neuropsychology in the master’s in psychology of the Faculty of Education and Psychology, UCP - CRP. She has a PhD in Basic Psychology from the University of Minho, a master’s in clinical and Health Psychology from the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the University of Porto and a post-graduate degree in clinical intervention in Psychogerontology and Neuro-Psychogerontology. She has developed research in the area of memory using behavioral, neuropsychological and neuroimaging data. She has also collaborated in national and international projects in the area of neurosciences. Her scientific interests include the study of memory throughout development and in clinical conditions, as well as the study of interactions between memory, emotion and emotional regulation. She is also interested in investigating the impact of neuropsychological interventions (e.g., cognitive training; compensatory strategies) and other interventional approaches (e.g., learning a second language; mindfulness) on cognitive functioning and brain indicators. Also in this field, the identification of novel markers and assessment tools that are sensitive to health-related changes, as well as to changes associated with neuropsychological interventions are other focuses of interest.

 

 

DOCTORAL STUDENTS

 

Ana Filipa Moreno, MSc.

Contact: ana.neves.moreno@gmail.com | Consult CV: Science ID - 9714-DCAA-64E0

Ana Moreno is a psychologist and is currently developing her PhD in Neurosciences. In the last few years, she has had the opportunity to acquire a wide experience in clinical and research contexts, having taken her Master's degree at the UCP's Faculty of Education and Psychology, under the HNL, with a specialization in Clinical and Health Psychology. During the last year of her master's degree, she carried out her curricular internship in the palliative care unit of the S. João Hospital Centre, and her dissertation thesis in the scope of emotional regulation and physiological synchrony in romantic dyads, oriented by Prof. Patrícia Oliveira-Silva. With regard to research, she has been associated with the HNL since 2015, in which she has collaborated in the development of various projects, namely the CAPSULE project (related to body image and emotional regulation) and the DELTA project (related to the impact of caffeine on cognitive performance and emotional regulation). Currently, she is a guest lecturer at FEP, teaching the practical components of the curricular units of 'Perception and Attention' and 'Language and Emotions'. Regarding practice, she has developed a special interest in the area of mental health, both in its intervention and in the design of mental health promotion programs, in an interconnected way with Neuropsychology. As future objectives, and within the scope of her doctorate, she seeks to combine her clinical knowledge and the area of mental health promotion with the development of programs that promote socio-emotional skills and mental health for the armed forces.

 

Pedro Ribeiro, MSc.

Contact: p.ribeiro.engenheiro@gmail.com | Consult CV: Science ID

Pedro Ribeiro, BEng Biomedical Engineering at Middlesex University, London, completed his MSc in Biomedical Engineering at the School of Biotechnology (UCP) supervised by Prof. Pedro Rodrigues and Prof. Patrícia Oliveira.Silva. He is interested in the theory and development of brain-computer interfaces, especially in terms of collecting data related to cognitive and motor activity in response to extracorporeal stimuli, as well as in software development in the languages of Matlab™, C++ and Python. His Ph.D. project is inserted in the HNL research line ‘Neural correlates of Consumer Behavior’ with the aim of designing and validating resources to analyze the neural correlates of decision making and other cognitive processes associated with the consumption.

 

 

RESEARCH ASSISTANTS

 

António Manuel Oliveira, MSc.

Contact: antoniomfoliveira@gmail.com | Consult CV: Science ID - CA1D-77B1-5ACD

António Oliveira was born in Porto. He completed his Bachelor's degree at ESMAE – IPP, earned a Master of Music diploma at The Hartt School, University of Hartford, Connecticut, United States of America, and completed his doctorate at HNL under the supervision of Prof. Patrícia Oliveira-Silva, Prof. Luísa Mota Ribeiro, and Prof. Gary McPherson (University of Sydney – Australia). He is a professional musician and has been working as a piano teacher at the Porto Music Conservatory since 2002. He has performed in solo recitals, chamber music, and with orchestras in Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Finland, Canada, and the United States of America. He has recorded several CDs, commissioned, and premiered works by Portuguese composers, and has recorded for RTP and RDP Antena 2. As a member of the Human Neurobehavioral Laboratory, António is interested in "understanding the neurological foundations associated with music learning," "the effects of music on behavior and study," "understanding how the comprehension of neurological development and the use of psychological instruments can help identify the candidates for music conservatory admission exams who are in the best condition to begin the formal music learning process," to list just a few.

 

Lucia Penalba Sánchez, MSc.

Contact: lucia.penalba.sanchez@gmail.com | Consult CV: Science ID - 8E17-8256-0D35

Lucía Penalba Sánchez is a PhD student under the co-supervision of Prof. Patrícia Oliveira-Silva from HNL-UCP (Portugal), Prof. Ignacio Cifre from Universitat Ramon Llull (Spain) and Prof. Alexander Sumich from Nottingham Trent University (UK). She has a degree in Psychology, a master’s in educational psychology, a Master in Neuropsychology, and did her internship at the NeuroLab Cognitivo at the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya. Her PhD thesis focuses on the assessment of brain dynamics in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's disease using neuroimaging techniques. She recently conducted an rsfMRI study to explore brain connectivity in Alzheimer's disease patients using different methodological approaches. She has also co-authored two rsfMRI studies to explore interhemispheric functional connectivity in patients with neurodegenerative diseases and to determine relevant BOLD events. At HNL, Lucia is currently assistant researcher of the project "Healthy Soils for Healthy Food", focusing on health, nutrition, environment and neuroscience. Her main goal is to contribute to people's well-being which makes her available to collaborate in different health-related research projects through the use of dynamic functional connectivity, EEG and peripheral neurophysiological measurements.

 

Miguel Ferreira (Research Assistant)

Contact: miguel.m.f_18@hotmail.com | Consult CV: Science ID - EB13-E0AA-6E0E

Miguel Ferreira is finishing his degree in Psychology in the Faculty of Education and Psychology (UCP) and is a research assistant at the HNL since his first year of his degree. Within the scope of Neurosciences, he has a special interest in understanding brain functioning, at a cognitive and affective level, as a result of the action of substances present in the daily consumption of the population, namely coffee, probiotic products and energy drinks, just to give a few examples. As a member of the laboratory, he has participated in the organization of international workshops, national events organized for students and professionals, laboratory activities for the dissemination of science offered to secondary school students, providing extensive support in the implementation of the various studies currently under development at HNL. He is interested in continuing to focus on research, particularly in the area of Neurosciences.

 

Raíssa Barros Dominato

Raíssa is a Psychologist, graduated from the Academia University Center, in Juiz de Fora - Minas Gerais, Brazil. She is currently a Postgraduate student in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy at NEISME (Center for Studies and Intervention in Mental Health). She has always been interested in the health field and the interface of psychology with human anatomy, which led her to take an interest in the work developed by the Human Neurobehavioral Laboratory. As an international student, she believes that the exchange between students from different countries and cultures is extremely valuable for learning and for academic and professional formation. Her interests lie mainly in the clinical area and the field of health psychology: palliative care, hospital psychology, psycho-oncology, and psychosomatics. She is currently specializing further in cognitive-behavioral areas and in Neuropsychology.

 

ONGOING MASTER STUDENTS

• 2023_2024: Nicole Di GIÁCOMO - Sapienza University of Rome - Italy
• 2023_2024: Julie Paula KOLBE - University of Klagenfurt - Austria
• 2023_2024: Bianca Gomes da Silva
• 2023_2024: Carolina Fernandes Pinheiro Antunes
• 2023_2024: Cristian Mendonça Batista
• 2023_2024: Diana Alexandra Lourenço de Almeida
• 2023_2024: Emanuel Pedro Rei de Vasconcelos
• 2023_2024: Henrique Gomes Santos
• 2023_2024: Inês Dias Botelho Martins Pereira
• 2023_2024: Jessyca Qiu
• 2023_2024: Joana Maria Teixeira Pereira da Costa
• 2023_2024: Maria Francisca Paiva Marinho da Silva
• 2022_2023: Liliana Sofia André Bento Gralha
• 2021_2022: David Emanuel Moreira de Saavedra
• 2020_2021: Verónica Alexandra Secundino da Silva

A SELECTION OF NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL INTERNS

• 2024: Nicole Di GIÁCOMO
  Sapienza University of Rome - Italy
• 2024: Julie Paula KOLBE
  University of Klagenfurt - Austria
• 2024: Aline GADELHA
  Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte – Brazil
• 2024: Marco GAZZILO
  Università Cattolica Sacro Cuore - Italy
• 2023: Alvin SYNARONG
  Fulbright scholarship from Princeton University – USA
• 2023: Manuela LIMA
  Universidade La Salle – Brazil
• 2023: Aline GADELHA
  Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte – Brazil
• 2023: Kinza GHAURI
  Aga Khan University - Paquistan
• 2023: Mahnoor ZAHID
  Aga Khan University - Paquistan
• 2023: Doreen TWINOMUGISHA
  Aga Khan University - Uganda
• 2023: Zehra Al KARIM
  Aga Khan University - Paquistan
• 2023: Ayesha SIDDIQUA
  Aga Khan University - Paquistan
• 2023: Ibrahim SHAH
  Aga Khan University - Paquistan
• 2022: Clarisa KUZMA
  University of Primorska – Slovenia
• 2022: Ogulcan ULU
  Beykent University – Turkey
• 2022: Raíssa Barros DOMINATO
  Centro Universitário Academia, em Juiz de Fora - Minas Gerais, no Brasil
• 2022: Maria de Fátima PENAS
  Escola Superior de Saúde - Instituto Politécnico do Porto - Portugal
• 2021: Elisa Di GREGORIO
  Università Cattolica Sacro Cuore – Italy