Helder Maiato holds a PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Porto and he is currently at the Institute for Research and Innovation in Health (i3S) and the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Porto. His research focuses on the mechanisms governing chromosome segregation in normal physiology, disease, and evolution. His pioneering studies on CLASP proteins have significantly advanced our understanding of mitotic spindle assembly and function. More recently, his team uncovered the role of the tubulin code as a navigation system important for chromosome alignment during early stages of mitosis and identified a chromosome separation checkpoint operating in anaphase, both critical for accurate chromosome segregation. Helder Maiato has led three European Research Council (ERC) grants - Starting, Consolidator, and Advanced - which have supported his groundbreaking work on chromosome instability and mitotic regulation over the last 15 years.