Sofia Farias Soares

Junior Researcher

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  • Chemistry
  • 15.3.29

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Short CV

CAREER HISTORY:
August 2024-ongoing: Junior Researcher (CEEC 6th edition, 2023.06221.CEECIND/CP2840/CT0019), Department of Chemistry, CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials – University of Aveiro, Portugal. 

November 2022-June 2023: First Level Doctorate Researcher in the BIOMAG project (CENTRO-01-0145-FEDER-181268), CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, Department of Chemistry, CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials – University of Aveiro, Portugal. 

November 2021-September 2022: Post-doctoral Researcher in the RECLAIM project (POCI-01-0247-FEDER-047052). at the Department of Materials and Ceramics Engineering, University of Aveiro, Portugal.

AWARDS:
2025- CICECO Young Scientist Award 2025 
2021 - Winner of the International Sol-Gel Society (ISGS) PhD Thesis Award Prize for 2021 (Gold medal)

OUTREACH ACTIVITIES:
She participated in a podcast "90 seconds of Science" (2022, RTP, Antena 1). 

Academic degrees

2017-2021 • PhD in Nanosciences and Nanotechnology at University of Aveiro, Portugal • Thesis: Magnetic bio-hybrid nanosorbents for the removal of pharmaceutical pollutants and pesticides from water • Superisors: Dr. Ana Luísa Daniel da Silva and Prof. Dr. Tito Trindade.

2011-2013 • MSc in Biochemistry at University of Aveiro, Portugal • Thesis: Epidemiology of producer strains of Extended-Spectrum Beta-Lactamases (ESBL) in urinary   tract infections (UTI) • Supervisors: Prof. Dr. Elmano Ramalheira and Dr. Sónia Ferreira.

2008-2011 • BSc in Biochemistry at University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Portugal • Project: A research on Alzheimer's disease - Effect of tacrine in the organization and activity of neurons in the cortex synaptosomes from rat brain • Supervisor: Dr. Romeu Videira.

Patents

1. Portuguese Patent (GRANTED) 2026, Nº118729, METHOD FOR THE REMOVAL OF CATIONIC AND/OR ANIONIC DYES FROM WATER OR WASTEWATER USING MAGNETIC BIONANOCOMPOSITE PARTICLES. https://pt.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/biblio?DB=EPODOC&II=0&ND=3&adjacent=true&locale=pt_pt&FT=D&date=20241219&CC=PT&NR=118729A&KC=A

2. Portuguese Patent (GRANTED) 2019, Nº 108283, MÉTODO PARA A PREPARAÇÃO DE MATERIAIS HÍBRIDOS DE POLISSACARÍDEO/SÍLICA E MÉTODO DE PREPARAÇÃO DE PARTÍCULAS MAGNÉTICAS REVESTIDAS COM UMA CAMADA DE MATERIAL HÍBRIDO POLISSACARÍDEO/SÍLICA. https://worldwide.espacenet.com/patent/search/family/058668366/publication/PT108283B?q=PT108283B

Supervisions

Short-term research internship
- Gytaute Sirgedaite, international visiting PhD student from University of Vilnius (Lithuania), June - July 2026 (two months), PhD in Chemistry, "Core-shell nanostructures for SERS detection of molecules of environmental relevance". [Supervisor] 

- Warda Azabi, international visiting PhD student from University Larbi Ben M'hidi Oum El Bouaghi (Algeria), Nov - Dez 2025 (2 months), PhD in Chemistry, "Plant-extract-coated magnetic nanoparticles for removal of dyes from water". [Supervisor]

PhD Thesis
- Muhammad Amir Matloob, 2025-ongoing, PhD in Physical Engineering, "Engineered ferrite-based functional materials for enhanced piezo-photocatalytic water treatment". [Co-supervisor]


MSc Thesis:
- Ana Luísa Machado, 2025-2026, MSc in Biochemical Engineering, “Magnetic maltodextrin-coated nanocubes as smart platforms for controlled drug delivery and release”. [Supervisor]

- Alexandre Silva, 2025-2026, MSc in Chemical Engineering, "Turning waste into solution: magnetic materials for micro- and nanoplastic removal from water". [Supervisor]

- João Brenheiro, 2025-ongoing, MSc in Chemistry, “Multifunctional nanosorbents based on hybrid materials for the SERS detection of water contaminants ”. [Co-supervisor]

- Filipe Lopes, 2024-2025, MSc in Chemistry, “Detection of water micropollutants using multifunctional magnetic nanosorbents”. [Co-supervisor]

BSc 3rd year final project:

- Sofia Tavares, 2025-2026, BSc in Biotechnology, "Biopolymer-based nanoparticles for anthocyanin encapsulation". [Supervisor]

- Beatriz Gonçalves, 2023-2024, BSc in Biotechnology, “Efficiency and toxicity of magnetic nanomaterials for water decontamination with agrochemicals”. [Supervisor]

- Bruno Inglês, 2023-2024, BSc in Biotechnology, “Efficiency and toxicity of magnetic bionanosorbents for the removal of salicylic acid from water”. [Supervisor]

- Nuno Silva, 2023-2024, BSc in Biotechnology, “Magnetic bio-nanosobents for detection of pollutants in water”. [Co-supervisor]

- João Brenheiro, 2023-2024, BSc in Chemistry, “Water quality monitoring using ecofriendly nanoadsorbents”. [Co-supervisor]

- Rute Aires Martins, 2022-2023, BSc in Materials Engineering, “Influence of glazing conditions on the characteristics of the formed layer”. [Co-supervisor]

CICECO Young Scientist Program

- Sofia Francisco, 03/2026 - ongoing, BSc in Biotechnology, "Cyclodextrin-based nanosponges for biomedical and environmental apllications". [Co-supervisor]

- Flávia Domingues, 11/2024-ongoing, BSc in Biotechnology, "Advancing pure water solutions with two-dimensional MXene-based materials". [Supervisor]

- João Brenheiro, 09/2024-12/2024, MSc in Chemistry, "Water quality monitoring using eco-friendly nanoadsorbents". [Co-supervisor]

Current activity

  • Development of MXene-based magnetic bionanocomposites for advanced water treatment applications
  • Design of magnetic nanocarriers for targeted and controlled drug delivery
  • Fabrication of multifunctional magnetic nanosorbents for ultrasensitive SERS detection of water pollutants

Research Interests

  • Eco-friendly magnetic biosorbents for environmental remediation
  • 3D MXene-based magnetic bionanocomposites for water purification
  • Advanced adsorption and photocatalysis processes for pollutant removal
  • Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) for trace detection of contaminants
  • Smart nanocarriers for biomedical applications (drug delivery, imaging, theranostics)
  • Sustainable nanotechnology for clean water and environmental sustainability

Teaching

Academic year 2025/2026- 1st Semester: Chemistry-Physics Elements (Curricular Unit 48119), 6 ECTS, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro.

Ongoing Supervisions

Muhammad Amir Matloob

PhD Student

Publications

Highly Efficient Removal of Dye from Water Using Magnetic Carrageenan/Silica Hybrid Nano-adsorbents

Soares, SF; Simoes, TR; Trindade, T; Daniel-da-Silva, AL
2017, WATER AIR AND SOIL POLLUTION, 228, 3.

Chitosan-silica hybrid nanosorbents for oil removal from water

Soares, SF; Rodrigues, MI; Trindade, T; Daniel-da-Silva, AL
2017, COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS, 532, 305-313.

Magnetic Hybrid Nanosorbents for the Uptake of Paraquat from Water

Fernandes, T; Soares, SF; Trindade, T; Daniel-Da-Silva, AL
2017, NANOMATERIALS, 7, 3.

A fractionation approach applying chelating magnetic nanoparticles to characterize pericardial fluid's proteome

Trindade, F; Bastos, P; Leite-Moreira, A; Manadas, B; Ferreira, R; Soares, SF; Daniel-da-Silva, AL; Falcao-Pires, I; Vitorino, R
2017, ARCHIVES OF BIOCHEMISTRY AND BIOPHYSICS, 634, 1-10.

An ionic liquid route to prepare copper sulphide nanocrystals aiming at photocatalytic applications

Estrada, AC; Silva, FM; Soares, SF; Coutinho, JAP; Trindade, T
2016, RSC ADVANCES, 6, 41, 34521-34528.

Hybrid nanoadsorbents for the magnetically assisted removal of metoprolol from water

Soares, SF; Simoes, TR; Antonio, M; Trindade, T; Daniel-da-Silva, AL
2016, CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL, 302, 560-569.

Carrageenan-Silica Hybrid Nanoparticles Prepared by a Non-Emulsion Method

Soares, SF; Trindade, T; Daniel-da-Silva, AL
2015, EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY, 27, 4588-4594.

Silver-gelatine bionanocomposites for qualitative detection of a pesticide by SERS

Fateixa, S; Soares, SF; Daniel-Da-Silva, AL; Nogueira, HIS; Trindade, T
2015, ANALYST, 140, 5, 1693-1701.

Nanocomposites for Magnetic Assisted Water Treatment Adsorption Technologies

In Izabel C Riegel-Vidotti; Lizandra Maria Zimmermann; Heloise R de Barros (Eds.), Contribution of Colloidal Materials to Air, Water and Soil Environmental Sustainability: From Basic Concepts to Advanced Applications
Ana L. Daniel-da-Silva; Sofia F. Soares; Cláudia B. Lopes; Tito Trindade
2025, Royal Society of Chemistry.
ISBN: 978-1-83767-614-9

Surface Engineered Magnetic Biosorbents for Water Treatment

In Crini G., Lichtfouse E. (Eds.), Green Adsorbents for Pollutant Removal
Soares S.F., Fernandes T., Trindade T., Daniel-da-Silva A.L.
2018, 301-342, Springer.
ISBN: 978-3-319-92111-2

Magnetic bio-hybrid nanosorbents for the removal of pharmaceutical pollutants and pesticides from water

Sofia F. Soares
2021, supervised by Dr. Ana Luísa Daniel da Silva and Professor Tito Trindade.

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