Cristina L.M. Silva, associate professor at the Faculty of Biotechnology of Universidade Católica Portuguesa and leader of the Food Engineering and Packaging research group at the Centre for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry (CBQF), has been elected President of the ISEKI-Food Association for the 2026–2029 term of office.
Formally established in 2005, the ISEKI-Food Association is an independent, non-profit European association with a broad international network that promotes integration between education, research and industry in the fields of Food Science, Technology and Engineering.
The Association seeks to bring academic education and research closer to the needs of the food sector and society, promoting international cooperation, mobility, lifelong learning, and the transfer and sharing of knowledge.
The election also marks Cristina Silva’s return to the leadership of an initiative with which she has been involved since its beginnings. Following the FoodNet European network, she contributed to the development and expansion of the ISEKI-Food network and coordinated successive European projects that helped consolidate it.
Subsequently, through the ISEKI_Mundus projects, funded by the Erasmus Mundus programme, she led the internationalisation of the network beyond Europe, involving institutions from all five continents.
Cristina Silva also played a key role in launching the International ISEKI-Food Conferences as President of the Association, with the first conference taking place in Porto in 2008. These meetings helped consolidate an international community bringing together academics, researchers, students and professionals from the food sector.
Strengthening the international dimension
During the 2026–2029 term of office, Cristina Silva intends to continue the work developed by the Association, strengthening its international dimension and its role as a platform connecting education, research and industry, capable of responding to the new challenges facing education, science and innovation in the food sector.
“Teaching and knowledge sharing have always been at the heart of what motivates me. I believe that, by working together and sharing what we know, we can contribute not only to advancing Food Science and Engineering, but also to building a better and more sustainable world. I see the ISEKI-Food Association as an excellent platform through which to make this contribution,” says Cristina Silva.
