Verónica Romão, IT Research Associate @ INESC-MN
PWIT Profile
Early years and where you came from?
I’ve been working at the interface of bio-nanotechnology since 2002. Starting at IST-UTL in BERG group where I took my PhD in collaboration with INESC-MN in Lisbon. Worked as staff member at INL in Braga. Founded a start-up company in the veterinary diagnostic area.
How were you introduced to the world of the Portuguese tech industry?
During my PhD I’ve worked in the development of diagnostic platforms intended to suppress a market need of point-of-care devices for bio-applications, therefore soon I was introduced to the tech industry panorama with the willing to enter on it an industrial player.
Walk me through your work and what you are doing now in the tech industry.
I am part of a star-up company focused on delivering the next generation of fully portable, easy to use in-vitro molecular diagnostic devices. We are developing fast and portable solutions for bacterial detection, identification and antibiotic resistance profiling, making use of a single, small fluid sample. Targeting applications in both human and animal health, as well as in food safety are being explored. Magnomics will initially address a key veterinary problem: the detection of bovine mastitis causing pathogens in milk, an ailment affecting dairy cows all over the world.
What part of what you do, you love the most?
The challenges of understanding and meeting the market needs.
How do you think that your background and knowledge impact the way you approach your work in the Portuguese tech industry?
Having training and working at an interface area between nanotech/biotech is very much enriching and not so common perspective, giving us the knowledge and the tools to address tech industry problems in a more efficient way.
What advice do you have for young women that want to get into tech and don’t know where to start?
The search for opportunities start in the high-school, getting in touch with the right mentors and get involved in the tech initiatives as much as possible. If tech is what you want to do join the right communities, make part of social groups and participate in events. Be proactive.
Walk me through a day in your life as a Portuguese women in tech.
As a mother of two child, leader of an R&D group and founder and head of R&D at a med-tech start-up company, many and diverse are the tasks to accomplish during the day. From students mentoring, lab organization, search for funding, project management, partnering meetings, infrastructure settling up, product design and specifications, state-of-the-art updating, participation in results dissemination events and outreach activities, all make part of my daily life program.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?
Never give up from what we believe. Keep trying doing your best.
What apps/software/tools can’t you live without?
Mobile phone.
You can find Verónica Romão on LinkedIn.
