• DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN CHEMICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING, University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), Baltimore, MD, USA (2001).

• BIOTECHNOLOGY REGULATORY PROGRAM CERTIFICATE, UMBC, Baltimore, MD, USA.

• EIGHTH ADVANCED COURSE ON PROCESSES IN BIOTECHNOLOGY, Environmental  Biotechnology, Autonomous University of Morelos State, Institute of Biotechnology of the National Autonomous Mexican University, Cuernavaca, Mexico (1997).

• BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN FOOD ENGINEERING, School of Biotechnology, Catholic University, Porto, Portugal (1994).

EXPERIENCE
 

• GRADUATE TEACHING ASSISTANT: Chemical Process Thermodynamics, Chemical Engineering Analysis and Biochemical Engineering, UMBC, Baltimore, MD, USA.

• COORDINATOR: First graduate student seminar series at the Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, UMBC, Baltimore, MD, USA.

• INTERN, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, UMBC, Baltimore, MD, USA: Assisted in the purification of a glycoprotein for application in cancer treatment and developed bioassay for its identification and quantification.

SKILLS
 

• DOWNSTREAM PROCESSING: Preparative Chromatography (Size Exclusion, Ion-Exchange, Hydrophobic andAffinity), Ultrafiltration, Dialysis, Centrifugation, Electroelution, and knowledge of HPLC.

• ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES: Proteolytic Activity, Protein Concentration and Enzyme-based Substrate Assays, Gram-Staining, SDS-PAGE, Native PAGE, Isoelectric Focusing, Zymogram Analysis, Spectrophotometry, Phase Contrast Microscopy, and knowledge of ELISA Assays.

• FERMENTATION ENGINEERING: Sterile Microbiological Techniques, Bacterial Cell Culture, Batch and Fed-Batch Fermentation.

• COMPUTER SOFTWARE: Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint for PC and Macintosh, "Strawberry Tree" Data Acquisition Software, Sensor Interfacing for Data Acquisition from Bioreactors.

PUBLICATIONS
 

• FERREIRA G. M, Ahuja S. K., and A. R. Moreira. Pleomorphism of the Marine Bacterium Teredinobacter turnirae. (Submitted to Letters of Applied Microbiology).

• FERREIRA G. M., Ahuja S. K., Sierks M. R. and A. R. Moreira. Nutritional Studies of the Shipworm Bacterium Teredinobacter turnirae for the Maximization of Protease Production. (In preparation).

• FERREIRA G. M. Ahuja S. K., Moreira A. R. and M. R. Sierks. Purification and Characterization of the Major Protease Secreted by the Rod-Like Morphology of Teredinobacter turnirae. (In preparation).

• FERREIRA G. M., Ahuja S. K., Moreira A. R. and M. R. Sierks. Purification and Characterization of the Major Protease Secreted by the Clump-Like Morphology of Teredinobacter turnirae. (In preparation).

• FERREIRA G. M., Ahuja S. K., Moreira A. R. and M. R. Sierks. Comparative Study of the Kinetics of Proteases Secreted by Different Morphologies of Teredinobacter turnirae. (In preparation)

• Ahuja S. K., FERREIRA G. M., and A. R. Moreira. Utilization of Enzymes for Environmental Applications - a Review. (In preparation).

• Ahuja S. K., FERREIRA G. M. and A. R. Moreira. Production of an Endoglucanase by the Shipworm Bacterium Teredinobacter turnirae. (Submitted to Journal of Industrial Microbiology).

• Ahuja S. K., FERREIRA G. M. and A. R. Moreira. Application of Plackett-Burman Design for Medium Optimization for Growth and Protease Production of Teredinobacter turnirae. (In preparation).

• Ahuja S. K., FERREIRA G. M. and A. R. Moreira. Influence of Morphology on Metabolic Activities of the Shipworm Bacterium Teredinobacter turnirae. (In preparation).

PRESENTATIONS (selected)
 

• FERREIRA G. M., Ahuja S. K., Moreira A. R. and M. R. Sierks. “Characterization of a Protease Produced by a Clump-Like Morphology of a Shipworm Bacterium”. Mid-Atlantic Biochemical Engineering Consortium, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA (1999).

• Ahuja S. K., FERREIRA G. M. and A. R. Moreira. “Effect of Morphology on Metabolic Activities of the Shipworm Bacterium”. American Chemical Society Conference, Anaheim, CA, USA (1999).

• Ahuja S. K., FERREIRA G. M, Antunes T. S. and A. R. Moreira. “Protease Fermentation by a Shipworm Bacterium”. BIOTEC 98: Iberian Congress on Biotechnology (First Ibero-American Meeting in Biotechnology), Guimaraes, Portugal (1998).

• FERREIRA G. M. and S. K. Ahuja. “What is Biochemical Engineering?” Graduate Research Seminar in the Sciences, UMBC, Baltimore, MD, USA (1998).

• FERREIRA G. M., Ahuja S. K., and A. R. Moreira. “Utilization of Enzymes for Environmental Applications”. Eighth Advanced Course on Processes in Biotechnology, Environmental Biotechnology, Autonomous University of Morelos State, Institute of Biotechnology of the National Autonomous Mexican University, Cuernavaca, Mexico (1997).

• FERREIRA G. M., Ahuja S. K., Sierks M. R. and A. R. Moreira. Production of Proteolytic Activity by Teredinobacter turnirae. American Chemical Society Conference, San Francisco, CA, USA (1997).

HONORS
 

• 1999 initiate of Phi Kappa Phi, a National Honors Student Association.

• Award for oral presentation, “Effect of Morphology on Metabolic Activities of the Shipworm Bacterium”, Graduate Student Research Day, University of Maryland at Baltimore, Baltimore, MD, USA (1999).

• Beneficiary of scholarship from Praxis XXI, Foundation for Science and Technology, Portugal, European Union (1994 - 1998).

• Cited in Industrial Bioprocessing, “Technical Insights Alert: Shipworm Bacterium Produces Unusual Enzymes” (1997).

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
 

• First Certificate in English, Cambridge University, England.

• Diploma in Tourism and Public Relations in French, French Institute, French Embassy, Porto, Portugal.

• Seminar course on Packaging and Environment, Food Marketing and Product Manager Function, School of Biotechnology, Porto, Portugal.