João Pinto da Costa graduated in Biotechnological Engineering in 2005 at the University of the Algarve (Portugal) and, soon thereafter, he completed his Masters in Medical Diagnostics at Cranfield University (UK). He completed his PhD in Environmental Chemistry in 2014 and, presently, he is an Assistant Researcher ("2021.00909.CEECIND") at the Department of Chemistry and the Center for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM) at the University of Aveiro. He is the author or co-author of over 85 peer-reviewed papers and of multiple book chapters. João is currently focused on the development of strategies for the correct assessment of the prevalence of emergent contaminants, namely, (micro)plastics, as well as their fate and behavior in the terrestrial and aquatic environments. His research interests also include the expansion of the knowledge of biotech-based approaches for the mitigation of plastic contamination (biodegradation).