Patrícia Pereira, PhD

University of Aveiro

Dr. Patrícia Pereira is a Researcher at the Department of Biology and the Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) at the University of Aveiro, Portugal. With a PhD in Biology from the same institution, her research is specialized in aquatic toxicology, with a focus on neurotoxicity, neuroprotection, and behavior. Dr. Pereira has pioneering work on the neurotoxic effects of mercury in fish—especially inorganic mercury, previously considered of low risk to aquatic organisms—revealing its profound impact on brain morphometry, neurophysiology, and behavior. Her recent research has extended into evaluating the neurotoxicity of pesticides using Caenorhabditis elegans as a model organism, and exploring the neuroprotective potential of marine macroalgae. She currently leads the “Neurotoxicity, Neuroprotection and Behavior” research line and has established a dedicated C. elegans facility at her department, integrating innovative toxicological assays with behavioral and biochemical endpoints. Dr. Pereira's mechanistic and comparative neurotoxicity research supports biomedical understanding of how contaminants affect nervous systems. Using non-human model systems—primarily fish and nematodes—her research provides insights into sensory impairment, brain cell deficits, and behavioral changes caused by environmental contaminants. These findings align closely with biomedical toxicology themes and expand the relevance of her work beyond environmental health to include human neurological risk assessment. Dr. Pereira actively contributes to the scientific community through frequent peer reviewing, editorial roles in Fishes, Toxicology Reports, and Frontiers in Toxicology, and public engagement in science communication. Read more about her research on CIÊNCIAVITAE.