About
Ana Teresa Freitas is a Full Professor and Chair of the Computer Science and Engineering Department at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), University of Lisbon. She is a senior researcher at INESC-ID and scientific coordinator of the Life and Health Technology thematic line.
Her career bridges rigorous academic research and high-impact entrepreneurship. She founded and led HeartGenetics (2013–2022), a pioneering digital health and cardiovascular genomics company, and co-created YEASTRACT, one of the most widely used databases in yeast gene-regulatory research.
She has been an instrumental leader in European life-science data infrastructure, serving as Vice-Chair of the ELIXIR Europe Board and Head of Node for ELIXIR Portugal, and is currently Vice President of BioData.pt.
"Think positive, take a deep breath and face one challenge at a time."
Research Interests
Her research focuses on the development of computational methods and AI-driven tools to understand complex biological systems — from gene regulatory networks in model organisms to genomic risk stratification for cardiovascular disease in human populations. Recent work includes circular DNA alignment algorithms, vitamin D genomics, and healthcare data-driven precision medicine.
Research contributes to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) and SDG 15 (Life on Land).