Daniel Estrela

Daniel Estrela

Daniel was born in the Azores, Portugal. He earned a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering (biological engineering) from Coimbra’s Institute of Engineering (2019-2022). During his studies, he conducted his dissertation, “Analysis of Mitochondrial Function in Alzheimer’s Disease Models: Role of Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors”, at the University of Coimbra’s Centre for Neuroscience and Cell Biology. This experience sparked his passion for scientific research.

In 2021, he interned at a local cheese factory’s laboratory, gaining hands-on experience in microbiological and physicochemical analyses, sample preparation, data processing, and industrial lab work. From 2022 to 2024, he pursued a master’s in biomedical engineering (biomaterials, rehabilitation, and biomechanics) at the University of Minho. His master’s thesis, called “Electrochemical Biosensors for Biomarker Detection in Pregnancy Complications”, was conducted at INL within the European project “LIFESAVER”. This experience allowed him to work in a large international consortium, publish a review article in Biomolecules, and contribute to a forthcoming research article. This project increased his passion for scientific research, especially in the intersection of biology and mechanics.

In 2024, Daniel joined LAAS-CNRS as a PhD student under the supervision of Morgan Delarue, in collaboration with CBI under the supervision of Sylvie Tournier. His research focuses on understanding how cell confinement affects mitotic robustness. While mechanical and biophysical factors play a role in chromosome segregation, the effects of confinement on this and other key processes remain unclear. By integrating cell biology, mechanobiology, and microfluidics, he aims to uncover the mechanisms regulating mitotic robustness under cell confinement.

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Current members

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Alumni