Cátia Pinto has been the Executive Director of SFCOLAB since April 2020. She holds a degree in Genetics and Biotechnology from the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), a Master's degree in Molecular Genetics from the same University, and a PhD in Molecular Genetics from the University of Reims Champagne Ardenne (France) and the University of Aveiro, as part of a European cooperation between Biocant and these institutions. Cátia Pinto previously served as Director of R&D at Biome Makers, an AgTech startup based in Sacramento, USA, specializing in modeling the microbiological functionality of soil to increase agricultural productivity and restore soil health and fertility.

With expertise in digitizing microbial communities associated with plants and soil, Cátia Pinto is the author of the world's first R&D results on vine-microbiome interaction. Despite her passion for researching and developing new sustainable approaches to agricultural production management and food security, she has dedicated herself in recent years to science management and organizational leadership, always taking on the challenge of translating scientific knowledge into value for the productive/industrial sector.