Maria José Saavedra is an Associate Professor with Habilitation at the Veterinary Sciences Department of University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro. She is a member of the Centre for the Research and Technology of Agro-Environmental and Biological Sciences (CITAB), Veterinary and Animal Research Center (CECAV), Centre of Marine and Environmental Research (CIIMAR), and collaborate of Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy (LEPABE). She is Coordinator of the Antimicrobials, Biocides & Biofilms (AB2Unit) and a member of Medical Microbiology . Her research activities include characterization of antibiotic resistance mechanisms and horizontal gene transfer in bacteria from different origins (animals, humans ,food, and water), working in line with One Health. She directed several doctoral and masters' theses, published more than 140 articles in refereed journals and book chapters, co-edited several special issues on animal science, and publications in GenBank and MLST, and participates in international scientific events in antibiotic resistance/animal health and infectious diseases. She has experience in teaching/supervising in animal and human biology. She is a leading investigator of research grants funded by national agencies and has participated in EU projects. She has worked as an evaluator of national and international research-funded programs in animal and veterinary Science, and food biotechnology and is a member of EAAP,ESCMID and ESGVM.