‘I WANT PEOPLE TO FALL IN LOVE WITH COLLAGEN’
Hi, I’m Catarina Ferreira da Silva and I’m Science Communication Manager at Rousselot. My job is to make the science behind collagen fun and accessible to everyone. It’s a perfect job for me, because I’m fascinated by collagen myself, and I also love to look for ways of sharing science with different audiences in engaging ways.’
From recombinants to coral reefs
‘I started out as a scientist in bioengineering. I was doing a PhD in recombinant, or bio-designed, materials. That’s when I began to learn about collagen. I was fascinated. It’s one of those incredible natural materials that, paradoxically, combine great strength with great flexibility: it’s what makes our bodies strong and yet also able to move around flexibly. I wanted to understand how collagen can do that. The health and beauty properties of collagen from animal sources have been recognized by humans for thousands of years. My PhD, in essence, was about exploring collagen more deeply and finding new ways of harnessing its rich potential today. I learned a lot; that’s where my love story with collagen began. Later, when doing postdoctoral research on coral reefs, there it was again: this amazing, versatile natural material called collagen.’
Astonishing science that no one knows about
‘It was during my postdoc that I began to realize that some of the most astonishing research going on in many areas is only known to the three, or five or six, scientists around the world who are specialized in it – and no one else ever hears about it. It bothered me: if so much hard work that is being done for the good of people goes unnoticed, a lot of its potential impact on society is also going to waste. Around that time, I heard about a vacancy for Science Communication Manager at Rousselot. That was my cue.’
Making people fall in love
‘I started with Rousselot in 2020 on a job that did not exist before my arrival. So I’ve had a lot of exploring to do. Essentially, my job is to make the often complex science behind collagen and gelatin fun and understandable to everyone: to explain why everyone at Rousselot is so excited about the collagen molecule and its many potential contributions to people, industry and society. It’s a perfect fit for me: I get to make people fall in love with collagen the way I did.’
Curiosity and connectivity
‘I’ve always been a curious person, from early childhood I was eager to know the stories behind things: what they are, how they work. I like connecting the dots. In that sense, my mind and my work are like the collagen I communicate about: highly connective. My job means being involved in all kinds of communication efforts, from publications in science journals to whitepapers detailing the latest research, from visually attractive videos to brochures and presentations. Because science is at the heart of Rousselot and Peptan, our collagen peptides brand, I get to dig up the inside stories and translate them into words and images that come across to different audiences, whether fellow scientists, manufacturers, formulators or consumers. All of these audiences nowadays are smart and aware; they want to know the real story and why it matters to them. It’s our job to help them recognize the true value of this amazing material, so that everyone benefits.’
Find out more about the science behind collagen