Pr. Poliana Mendes de Souza is an Assistant Professor at UM6P with HDR in the Animal Food Industry and Valorization. She earned her PhD in Food Technology from UPV, Spain (2012), including research at MRI, Germany; a Master in Food Engineering from UNICAMP, Brazil (2007); and a Bachelor in Food Engineering from PUCPR, Brazil (2006). From 2013 to 2024, Dr. Souza was associate professor at the Science and Technology Institute, Federal University of Jequitinhonha and Mucuri Valley (UFVJM), Brazil. She led the Nutrition Sciences Graduate Program, the Emerging Food Processing Technologies Research Group, and founded the Master Program in Food Science and Technology. Her expertise covers food science and technology with project-based and learning-by-doing methodologies. Since 2002, her research focuses on emerging technologies for food conservation, microbiological contamination reduction in meat and dairy products, predictive microbiology, irradiation technologies (UV-C and gamma), and valorization of food industry byproducts. At ASARI, her projects include camel milk valorization and conservation, developing and assessing new camel milk products. Dr. Souza has published papers, book chapters, and conference articles, and collaborated with industries and communities in Brazil, Uruguay, Mexico, and Spain. She is committed to advancing knowledge and innovation in the animal food industry and valorization at ASARI/UM6P.