member · Post-doc Researchers · Bioethanol, Biofuels, Biomass, Bioprocess, Biorefinery, High-added value compounds, Hydrothermal processing, Microalgae
Dr. Igor Carvalho Fontes Sampaio
Contact: contact@biorefinerygroup.com
Phone: (+52) 844 416 12 38
Biorefinery lab
Dr. Sampaio is a visiting professor at Biorefinery Group, Autonomous University of Coahuila (April-June, 2024; and August 2025 – January 2026). He is a researcher at the State University of Santa Cruz, Brazil.
Dr. Igor Sampaio is a professor in the Postgraduate Program of the Northeast Biotechnology Network (RENORBIO) in Brazil. He is currently undertaking a postdoctoral research stay with the Biorefinery Group at the Autonomous University of Coahuila (August 2025–January 2026), as part of the project “International Collaboration between the Biotransformation and Organic Biocatalysis Group (UESC-Brazil) and the Biorefinery Group (UAdeC-Mexico): Textile Wastewater Treatment and Simultaneous Valorization of Lignocellulosic Biomass”, funded by the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Brazil.
He is also researcher at Santa Cruz State University and the Principal Investigator of a four-year CNPq project titled “Artificial Neural Networks for Bioprocess Optimization and Virtual Sensor Development: A Biorefinery 4.0 Approach for the Production of Biofuels, High-Value Metabolites, and Bioinputs from Microalgae Biomass Cultivated in Autohydrolyzed Residues”. This project involves collaborations with researchers from Brazil, Mexico and Spain.
Previously, he was a visiting professor at the Biorefinery Group (April-June 2024), where he conducted the project “Development of a Bioprocess for the Production of Bioethanol from Cocoa Bean Shell and Microalgae Cultivation for the Integration of Second- and Third-Generation Biorefineries.”
His research project is: Textile Wastewater Treatment and Simultaneous Valorization of Lignocellulosic Biomass
Previously: Development of a bioprocess for the production of bioethanol from cocoa bean shell and microalgae cultivation for the integration of second and third generation of biorefineries.
Scopus: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=57204431283
Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3359-4218
Scholar Google: https://scholar.google.com.mx/citations?hl=en&user=y6KWO6wAAAAJ
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/igorsampaiobiotech/
Biography:
Dr. Igor Sampaio holds a Ph.D. in Industrial and Environmental Biotechnology from the Federal University of Bahia, Brazil (2021), where he investigated the production of bacterial exopolysaccharides using wastewater from oil fields. Following his doctorate, he worked as a researcher at the Espírito Santo Center for Research, Innovation, and Development (Brazil) and at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (Spain), focusing on urban wastewater treatment and microalgae-based bioprocesses. In 2023, he joined the Biotransformation and Organic Biocatalysis Research Group at Santa Cruz State University (Brazil) to collaborate on research involving lignocellulosic biomass valorization, bioprocesses, and pollutant removal from textile industry wastewater. In 2024, he served as a visiting researcher at the Autonomous University of Coahuila (Mexico), where he explored autohydrolysis methods for biomass processing, saccharification for ethanol production, and microalgae bioprocesses.
He is currently conducting postdoctoral research through an international collaboration between the Biorefinery Group at the Autonomous University of Coahuila and the Biotransformation and Organic Biocatalysis Group at the State University of Santa Cruz. His work centers on hydrothermal processes for biomass and wastewater treatment, alcohol production, and microalgae cultivation.
Dr. Sampaio has authored indexed articles, contributed chapters to international books, filed patents, and served as an inventor. He is a professor in the Postgraduate Program of the Northeast Biotechnology Network (RENORBIO) in Brazil, with experience supervising doctoral theses, master’s dissertations, and undergraduate projects. In addition, he serves as a reviewer and guest editor for indexed journals.
He is the principal investigator of a four-year CNPq funded project focused on microalgae biotechnology, autohydrolysis, and the application of artificial neural networks for process optimization and the development of virtual sensors. As a biotechnologist, Dr. Sampaio has also contributed to founding a company in Brazil and to developing funding proposals for private companies and public agencies in the areas of bioprocesses, bioenergy, microalgae, and resource recovery.
Research Interests
Bioetechnology, Wastewater valorization, Microalgae, Biorefinery, Virtual sensors
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