João Duarte graduated from the University of Coimbra (2009), and had postdoctoral training in magnetic resonance imaging methods at the Center for Biomedical Imaging, in Switzerland. In 2013, he was awarded the Ambizione grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation, for initiating an independent line of research at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. I was recruited to Lund University (LU) by the Wallenberg Centre for Molecular Medicine in 2017, and promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2020. I lead a lab with research focus on the mechanisms of brain metabolic regulation, particularly those that underlie cognitive impairment associated to metabolic syndrome components. My team’s research is at the interface between metabolism and neuroscience, employs cell and rodent models, and technical expertise includes nuclear magnetic resonance in vitro and in vivo, metabolic flux analysis, mouse behaviour and metabolic phenotyping. I act as vice-coordinator of the LU Diabetes Centre, coordinate the bachelor course “The Cell in Its Environment” and the master course “Metabolic Diseases”, and have editorial roles for the Journal of Neurochemistry, the Neurochemical Research and the Annals of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences.
I have been an active member of scientific societies with interest on brain metabolic regulation and neurochemistry, such as the International Society for Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism (JCBFM Editorial Board member, reviewer of meeting abstracts), International Society for Neurochemistry (Travel Awards Committee member), and International Conference on Brain Energy Metabolism (Scientific Committee member for meetings in 2016, 2018 and 2024).
Vision: I envisage an ISN that further fosters interdisciplinary collaborations in neurochemistry research and education. If elected to the ISN council, I will be especially engaged in representing the generation of neurochemists at early career stages, and pay attention to supporting their needs while establishing and consolidating independent research labs throughout the world.