Student Spotlight Finalists Announced for Aquaculture Europe 2026

The European Aquaculture Society (EAS) is pleased to announce the three finalists of the Student Spotlight Award at Aquaculture Europe 2026.

This year, 129 student abstracts were submitted by the May deadline. Following a pre-selection by the EAS Board and a final evaluation by the conference Programme Co-chairs, Simona Sušnik Bajec (University of Ljubljana, Slovenia) and Tanja Šegvić Bubić (Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Split, Croatia), three outstanding finalists were selected to present their research live during Plenary 1.

Join us on Tuesday, 29 September, from 09:00 in Marmona 1+2 to hear these excellent presentations and support the next generation of aquaculture researchers.

Meet the finalists

Luciano Rodrigues dos Santos (Portugal)

Presentation: Can Local Protein Hydrolysates Strengthen Stress Resilience in European Seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax)?

Luciano Rodrigues dos Santos is a PhD student in Animal Science, specialising in Nutrition, at the University of Porto and CIIMAR. His research focuses on the valorisation of locally sourced protein hydrolysates derived from agri-food by-products as functional ingredients for sustainable aquafeeds. By combining fish nutrition, physiology and biochemical analyses, his work explores how these ingredients can improve growth performance, stress resilience and flesh quality in European seabass while supporting more circular and resource-efficient aquaculture.

Sara de Sousa e Brito (Germany)

Presentation: Faeces on the Rise: How "Floating Faeces" Improve Solid and Nutrient Removal for Atlantic Salmon Pre-smolt Production in RAS

Sara de Sousa e Brito is a PhD candidate at the University of Konstanz, conducting her research at the Fisheries Research Station Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Her doctoral research, carried out within the EU funded RASOPTA project, focuses on Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS), particularly the characterisation of suspended solids and their effects on microbial activity and water quality. Her work investigates innovative approaches, including the "floating faeces" concept, to improve solids and nutrient removal in salmon production.

Dana Marielba Silva Silva (Spain)

Presentation: Integrated Epigenomic DNA Methylation and Transcriptomic Landscapes Reveal Sex-specific Liver Responses to Continuous Light in Atlantic Cod (Gadus morhua)

Dana Marielba Silva Silva is a PhD student at the Institut de Ciències del Mar (ICM-CSIC) and the Polytechnic University of Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain. Her research investigates the holoepigenetic mechanisms regulating puberty and growth in Atlantic cod. By integrating transcriptomics, DNA methylation and gut microbiome analyses, she is uncovering how photoperiod manipulation influences sex-specific molecular responses and sexual maturation in fish.

Vote for the winner

All conference delegates attending Plenary 1 will have the opportunity to vote for their favourite presentation. The audience vote will determine the Student Spotlight Award winner, who will receive an additional €300 prize.

Don't miss the opportunity to discover some of the most exciting student research presented at Aquaculture Europe 2026 and help select this year's Student Spotlight Award winner.

See you on Tuesday, 29 September, at 09:00 in Marmona 1+2!

If you haven't registered for the conference yet, there's still time. Register now and join us in Ljubljana: aquaeas.org