Salomé Flores-Ribeiro is a biologist who graduated in Applied Biology (2024) and is completing her Master’s degree in Biomedicine at the University of Minho (expected 2026). During her Bachelor’s research project, she gained experience in testing fungicides on non-target aquatic fungi, maintaining host–parasite systems (Daphnia magna × Metschnikowia bicuspidata) under laboratory conditions, and conducting infection protocols. During her Master’s, she expanded her skills in microbiome profiling through 16S rRNA sequencing and statistical analysis of microbial diversity. She also developed expertise in yeast cultivation, autophagy assays, and immunoblotting techniques to evaluate cellular stress responses. Currently, she is a research fellow in the group of Ricardo Silvestre and Clarisse Nobre, where she is applying microbial profiling using 16S rRNA sequencing, targeted bacterial isolation, and in vivo functional testing. Her work aims to correlate human ulcerative colitis(UC)-associated bacterial signatures with the effects of specific bacterial isolates on inflammation, immune responses, and tissue pathology in healthy mice, establishing causality and functional relevance in the identification and characterization of UC-associated pathobionts.