Fatima Pocas

Fátima Poças. BSc Chemical engineering (FEUP), MSc in Packaging (Michigan State University), PhD in Biotechnology – Food Engineering and Science by Universidade Católica Portuguesa Escola Superior de Biotecnologia. Researcher and Assistance Prof. (Eq.) at ESB since 2009 (CBQF/UCP) with works in the field of mass transfer processes applied to safety and quality of packaged food, in particular barrier properties and chemical hazards and migration from packaging systems, and more recently with works in the area of packaging sustainability, materials minimization and recycling process of packaging systems, and application of biomaterials to food packaging. Integrated the team of several (20) research projects national and European and led 3 national research projects. Published ca. 30 articles in referred journals. Coordination of the packaging laboratory since 1990, acting as the national reference laboratory for food packaging in Portugal. Development, coordination and teaching food packaging courses at undergraduate, master and in doctoral programme level since 1992. Supervision of 25 master thesis and co-supervision of PhD thesis in subjects related to food packaging and bio based materials. She coordinates the Centre for Food Quality and Safety of ESB since 2013. Represents Portugal in the European Network of Food Contact Materials Laboratories since 2004. She integrates the Recycling Group of EFSA since 2016 and the Smart Waste Portugal Association since 2018. She currently serves as referee of several international journals from packaging materials, food engineering, food quality and science. Under the activities of the packaging laboratory she has been working close to packaging industry developing projects related to system optimization, product quality and safety. She has experience in characterization and on assessing properties of materials including bio based for packaging since 1990, including mechanical, barrier and composition aspects related to safety of plastics and cellulosic materials for food contact. She has been involved in several small scale projects to enhance properties of packaging together with national producers and converters.