Research group
Nanoplatforms for Life
Position
PhD student
Rafael Catarino Castro is a pharmacist and researcher with a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Nanotechnology) from the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Porto. His research focuses on the development of analytical methodologies based on nanomaterials and chemometrics for detecting analytes in complex biological, environmental, food, and pharmaceutical matrices.
He completed the Integrated Master's in Pharmaceutical Sciences in 2019 (final average: 16/20) and later carried out doctoral research at LAVQ/REQUIMTE with FCT funding. His work includes the synthesis and characterization of quantum dots and the application of vibrational spectroscopy (NIR, MIR, Raman) combined with chemometric tools for rapid and low-cost analysis.
He has authored 31 peer-reviewed publications (22 as first author) and presented 37 communications at scientific conferences. He also participates in teaching activities and science communication initiatives.
Representative Publications
Dual-emission CdTe/AgInS2 photoluminescence probe coupled to neural network data processing for the simultaneous determination of folic acid and iron (II)
10.1016/j.aca.2020.04.007
Dual-emission ratiometric probe combining carbon dots and CdTe quantum dots for fluorometric and visual determination of H2O2
10.1016/j.snb.2019.126665
