SF-Bay Area<\/h1><\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tChapter Leader(s)<\/h2>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.paps.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Carolina-Photo.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/span><\/div>Carolina Leote<\/h3>\n
Carolina is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Genentech, where she studies aging through computational approaches. She lived in Lisbon throughout her upbringing and Biological Engineering degree at T\u00e9cnico. She then moved to Cologne, Germany, for her PhD, and now finds herself back in the sun in the Bay Area, California. Outside work she enjoys hikes, electronic music, and baking.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.paps.pt\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/sonia-appel.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/span><\/div>S\u00f3nia Appel<\/h3>\n
Sonia Appel is a Lisbon native biotech professional in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sonia divides her time between her biotech operations consulting firm alismereTM, speaking at conferences, volunteering in life sciences organizations, and altruistic endeavors to enrich the biotech ecosystems of Portugal and the US. With a Master of Science in Biotechnology from Nova University of Lisbon, Sonia\u2019s career grew from academic research in New York to director level operations positions in pharmaceutical and molecular diagnostic in California. Outside of work, Sonia loves mountain-biking, hiking, ballet, knitting, traveling and creating special family moments.<\/p>\n
Chapter Leader(s)<\/h2>\n<\/span><\/div>Carolina Leote<\/h3>\n
Carolina is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Genentech, where she studies aging through computational approaches. She lived in Lisbon throughout her upbringing and Biological Engineering degree at T\u00e9cnico. She then moved to Cologne, Germany, for her PhD, and now finds herself back in the sun in the Bay Area, California. Outside work she enjoys hikes, electronic music, and baking.<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/div>S\u00f3nia Appel<\/h3>\n
Sonia Appel is a Lisbon native biotech professional in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sonia divides her time between her biotech operations consulting firm alismereTM, speaking at conferences, volunteering in life sciences organizations, and altruistic endeavors to enrich the biotech ecosystems of Portugal and the US. With a Master of Science in Biotechnology from Nova University of Lisbon, Sonia\u2019s career grew from academic research in New York to director level operations positions in pharmaceutical and molecular diagnostic in California. Outside of work, Sonia loves mountain-biking, hiking, ballet, knitting, traveling and creating special family moments.<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/div>Carolina Leote<\/h3>\n
Carolina is a Postdoctoral Fellow at Genentech, where she studies aging through computational approaches. She lived in Lisbon throughout her upbringing and Biological Engineering degree at T\u00e9cnico. She then moved to Cologne, Germany, for her PhD, and now finds herself back in the sun in the Bay Area, California. Outside work she enjoys hikes, electronic music, and baking.<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/div>S\u00f3nia Appel<\/h3>\n
Sonia Appel is a Lisbon native biotech professional in the San Francisco Bay Area. Sonia divides her time between her biotech operations consulting firm alismereTM, speaking at conferences, volunteering in life sciences organizations, and altruistic endeavors to enrich the biotech ecosystems of Portugal and the US. With a Master of Science in Biotechnology from Nova University of Lisbon, Sonia\u2019s career grew from academic research in New York to director level operations positions in pharmaceutical and molecular diagnostic in California. Outside of work, Sonia loves mountain-biking, hiking, ballet, knitting, traveling and creating special family moments.<\/p>\n