Amanda is a PhD student under the supervision of Prof. Robert Forster in DCU. Prior to joining FutureNeuro she completed both B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees at Federal University of São Carlos. At the same university, she worked as a junior researcher where she has carried out four different research projects in Environmental, Physical, Analytical and Organic chemistry. In addition, in 2014, Amanda was an Intern Researcher at the Canadian Grain Commission in Winnipeg, Canada. At FutureNeuro, the specific aim of Amanda’s project is to develop a near-patient, sample-to-answer device for a fast, simple and cost-efficient detection of a panel of microRNA-based biomarkers to enable an early diagnosis and treatment of patients suffering from epilepsy. Amanda’s current focus is on developing a high sensitivity electrochemical assay/sensor for the microRNA. This will then be integrated into a microfluidic device .