(Chemical) Bonding is what makes life possible

João Pedro Lourenço de Castro completed his master's degree in Chemical Analysis and Characterization Techniques in 2022 and his bachelor's degree in Chemistry in 2019, both from the University of Minho. His undergraduate project focused on the extraction, synthesis, and nanoencapsulation of essential oils for use as biopesticides, where he gained expertise in essential oils, isolation methods, semi-synthesis, photophysics, nanoencapsulation, and gas chromatography.
For his master's thesis, João worked on designing fluorescent probes for detecting ions and drugs of abuse in urine. This project, in collaboration with Tellspec, involved organic synthesis (mainly BODIPY synthesis and modifications via Vilsmeier and Henry reactions), purification techniques, structural characterization using various spectroscopic methods, and chemometric analysis with PCR and PLS algorithms to develop quantification models for different analytes.

Currently, João is a researcher at the University of Aveiro's chemistry department, working on an FCT project that focuses on the functionalization of natural bis-quinolizidine alkaloids for catalysis and medicinal chemistry applications. His research includes the synthesis of imines and studying the reactivity of valence-expanded chlorosilanes to optimize enantioselective reduction of imines using chiral Lewis bases.
João has presented two posters at international conferences and has attended various seminars and workshops to enhance his practical skills in chromatography, characterization techniques, and reference management.