(Chemical) Bonding is what makes life possible

I. Mafra graduated in Food Engineering from the Portuguese Catholic University in Porto in 1992, completed a Master degree in Biological Engineering from the University of Minho in Braga in 1997 and concluded a PhD degree in Chemistry, from the University of Aveiro in 2002. In 2003, she moved to REQUIMTE where she started her own line of research in molecular biology applied to food authentication and GMO detection. In 2009, as a group leader, she expanded the area of food allergen analysis. She has contributed with great scientific advances regarding the identification of the origin of foods (plant and animal), including medicinal plants, plant food supplements and a main focus on food allergens, applying mainly DNA-based methods.