Biography

In 2009, she graduated in Applied Ecology from the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro. In 2011, she completed her master's degree in Environmental Engineering and in the same year joined CES as a research fellow in the project "BIOSENSE | The engagement of science with society: Life Sciences, Social Sciences and Publics", coordinated by João Arriscado Nunes. During this period, she collaborated in the development, promotion, and evaluation of science communication initiatives and the promotion of science-society relations, with a particular focus on the relationship between society and biotechnology. Between 2014 and 2017, she worked as a project manager at the Project Management Office of CES, returning to these functions in 2020. In 2022, she completed her doctorate in Governance, Knowledge and Innovation (sociology branch) (CES-FEUC), focusing on the ontological construction of transgenic seeds through the practices of dissenting scientists and scientific controversies. In recent years, she has worked closely with João Arriscado Nunes (CES), Rita Serra (CES), and Raúl García-Barrios, the latter being a researcher at the Regional Multidisciplinary Research Centre of the Autonomous University of Mexico (CRIM / UNAM). In 2023, she began her post-doctoral journey at the Centre for Social Studies with the project "SoPCorn - Agricultural Biotechnology Provision in Portugal", supervised by Ana Cordeiro Santos. SoPCorn aims to address the gap regarding what is known about the eco-socioeconomic impacts of genetically modified corn production in Portugal. Contacts: belacastro [at] ces.uc.pt irinacastro.ssc [at] gmail.com