CERNAS

Research Center
for Natural Resources,
Envioronment and Society

Carla Varanda

Carla Varanda
Carla Varanda graduated in Agricultural Engineering in University of Évora (UE), in 2003, obtained the Master's Degree in Plant Biology of Pests and Plant Diseases (UE) in 2005 and the PhD in Agricultural Sciences (UE) in 2011. C.Varanda is an Assistant Professor at the Escola Superior Agrária of the Polytechnic Institute of Santarém, responsible for the curricular units of Genetics, Molecular Biology, Biotechnology and Plant Physiology, also teaching the curricular unit of plant protection. She is a researcher at the Center for the Study of Natural Resources, Environment and Society (CERNAS) and a collaborator at the Mediterranean Institute of Agriculture, Environment and Development (MED) and the Associated Laboratory of the Global Change & Sustainability Institute (CHANGE).C. Varanda main research areas concern the study of viruses both as plant pathogens and as biotechnological tools. Other research lines include the study of plant diseases and the development of diagnostic techniques and biological control methods. During her career, C. Varanda has published 36 articles in indexed scientific journals, 14 of which as first author, 16 as corresponding author and 4 as senior author; in addition to other relevant scientific output including 2 edited books and 1 book chapter, several articles in 'Proceedings' and technical journals. C. Varanda's high research experience can also be demonstrated through the participation in more than 15 national and international projects. Her scientific independence and international recognition can also be seen through her role as Principal Investigator of two project grants in highly competitive calls from FCT (obtained in 2017 and 2018). C. Varanda professional commitment at her scientific area is also recognized by the academy through university teaching duties (in the UE and in the University Aberta), participation in 10 juries of academic degrees and project fellowships and supervision of students: 2 PhD students (1 concluded and 1 ongoing), 3 Post-docs (concluded), 8 Master's students (6 concluded and 2 ongoing), 2 Master's fellowships (concluded), 7 ungraduated students (5 concluded and 2 ongoing) and mentoring of several PhD, Master and ungraduated students. C. Varanda has also participated in the organization of national and international congresses and meetings, as well as in 'Ciência Viva' programs. She provides consultancy services to Municipalities, private sector and state agencies on the development of biotechnological solutions for plant protection. C. Varanda ability to achieve original and high-quality performance has allowed her to develop 4 applications for European patents all based on the development of viral vectors in plant protection. Her breadth of scientific record extends for the participation on evaluation of R&D projects grants (United States, Israel and Chile), as the Portuguese coordinator of the Cost action (COST FA1407) and as academic editor and reviewer of several papers in Q1 journals. C. Varanda internationalization can also be confirm through several scientific collaborations that resulted in published articles, internships, conference participations and financed research projects. During her career C. Varanda has received important recognition prizes, such as Innovative enterprise awards and competitive individual financing.