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About me

Maria João
Matias

Year 10 · Odivelas, Lisbon Non-Trivial Fellow '26 Co-founder, The Centrifuge Technovation Ambassador

I'm a high-school student obsessed with how living systems work — and equally obsessed with writing about them. This blog is my attempt to do both at once.

I'm a 10th grader from Odivelas, Lisbon, with a deep pull towards molecular biology, biochemistry, and the science of what we eat. I started this blog because I kept having moments in class or while reading where I'd think — this is so cool, someone needs to write about this more clearly. So I figured I'd try.

Outside of the blog, I spend most of my time on projects at the intersection of science and communication. I co-founded The Centrifuge, a magazine that tries to prove that high-schoolers can do serious science writing. I'm a fellow at Non-Trivial, a research programme that has completely changed how I think about what research is actually for. And I'm a Technovation Student Ambassador, which means I get to encourage other girls to pursue STEM — something I feel strongly about.

I'm particularly excited about alternative proteins, convergent evolution, and anything to do with the microbiome. Long-term, I want to pursue research that actually changes how we interact with living systems — but for now, I'm trying to learn as much as I can and write about all of it.

Location
Odivelas, Lisbon, Portugal
Currently
Year 10, Sciences & Technology
Focus
Molecular biology, food science, alternative proteins
01
May 2026 – Present Ongoing
Student Researcher
Non-Trivial Fellowship
Non-Trivial is one of the most selective research programmes for high-schoolers in the world. Fellows are chosen to conduct original, high-impact research while still in school — the idea being that age shouldn't be a barrier to doing real intellectual work. I joined in May 2026, and it's fundamentally shifted how I think about what research is actually for and what it means to work on problems that matter. The programme draws heavily from Effective Altruism and longtermist thinking, which I've found both challenging and genuinely eye-opening.
Research Effective Altruism Fellowship Longtermism
Visit Non-Trivial →
02
Mar 2026 – Present Ongoing
Co-Founder
The Centrifuge
The Centrifuge started from a simple frustration: most science communication aimed at teenagers is either too dumbed down or completely inaccessible. We wanted to create something in between — a proper magazine, written by high-school students, for high-school students, where the bar for rigour is actually high. The name comes from the lab instrument, but also from the idea of spinning something fast enough to separate out what really matters. Building this has taught me more about editing, publishing, and collaborative writing than anything else I've done.
Science Communication Publishing Co-founder Student Media
Visit The Centrifuge →
03
Oct 2025 – Present Ongoing
Student Ambassador
Technovation Girls — Portugal
Technovation is a global programme that teaches girls aged 10–18 to build mobile apps that solve real problems in their communities. As a Student Ambassador, I help recruit participants, promote the programme in schools around Lisbon, and mentor younger students through the process. This role pushed me to think seriously about why girls drop out of STEM pipelines and what actually works to change that — spoiler: it's less about inspiration posters and more about creating genuine community and early wins.
STEM Outreach Mentorship Girls in STEM Portugal
Visit Technovation →
Languages
PortugueseNative
EnglishC2 Proficient
FrenchProfessional
GermanElementary
Certifications
EF SET English Certificate — 78/100 (C2 Proficient)
AI Code Teens