M Cristina L Martins is an expert in surface modifications at nanoscale to guide specific biological interactions, such as selective protein/cell binding, to avoid biomaterial-associated thrombosis and infection. She obtained her PhD in Engineering Sciences from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP) in 2003 and in 2005, she became researcher at INEB (Instituto de Engenharia Biomédica). She is the coordinator of the BioEngineered Surfaces Group at i3S (Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde) and Affiliated Professor at Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS) of the University of Porto.