Tina Keller-Costa

Dr. Tina Keller-Costa is a research scientist and Invited Assistant Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon. She is also a member of the Young Scientists Seminar of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences. Tina studied Biology at the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Germany, and completed her master’s thesis on the microbiome of freshwater sponges at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands (2009). She earned her Ph.D. in Biology (2014) from the University of Évora (European Doctorate Program), conducting her doctoral research at the Algarve Centre of Marine Sciences in Faro, Portugal, where she identified the male pheromone of tilapia in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Germany. Intrigued by host–microbial interactions, Tina shifted her focus during her postdoctoral years to specialize in symbiotic marine microbiomes. She now has over 10 years of research experience in Marine Microbiology.

Tina’s current research explores the diversity, function, and biotechnological potential of marine microorganisms, particularly those associated with corals, to promote a sustainable blue bioeconomy and healthy oceans. Her current projects focus on novel marine chitin-degrading enzymes and their ecological roles, the response of the octocoral holobiont to climate change and emerging pathogens, and the development of microbiome engineering strategies for marine ecosystem resilience.