13th edition of the L'Oréal Women in Science Medals

Ana Rita Marques, Isabel Veiga, Maria Inês Almeida and Patrícia Baptista were the four young researchers who won the 13th edition of the "L'Oréal Portugal Medals of Honor for Women in Science", an initiative promoted by L'Oréal Portugal, in partnership with the UNESCO National Commission, the Foundation for Science and Technology and with the support of Ciência Viva.

The jury, chaired by Alexandre Quintanilha, evaluated 80 applications in this edition and decided to distinguish the work of four young Portuguese scientists carrying out research in the areas of infertility, malaria, bone regeneration and mobility, respectively. The awards ceremony took place on Tuesday, February 7, at the Pavilion of Knowledge, and was attended by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

This annual prize from L'Oréal Portugal, worth €15,000 each, is aimed at young Portuguese female scientists carrying out research in Portugal, already with a doctorate and aged up to 35, who are carrying out original studies that are relevant to health and/or the environment. The prize was established in 2004 and aims to motivate and support young scientists to pursue their projects. To date, this award has honored 41 female researchers in Portugal.

About the award-winning researchers:

Ana Rita Marques (36), from the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (IGC), is trying to uncover the role of the centriole lining in the correct regulation of these tiny structures responsible for cell division. Understanding how the absence or presence of this shield is regulated could open up new lines of research, with applications in the areas of female infertility, tissue regeneration, diseases related to embryonic malformations and cancer.

She did her PhD at the IGC, in the area of developmental biology (2007-11), and at the age of 31, after having her first daughter, she started her post-doctorate in the area of cell biology as a researcher at the same institution. In 2015, she became a mother again and currently remains at the IGC, in the Cell Cycle Regulation Group, under the supervision of Mónica Bettencourt Dias and with the support of the FCT.

Isabel Veiga (35), from the Life Sciences and Health Research Institute (ICVS) at the University of Minho, intends to investigate the factors and genetic mutations of the malaria parasite that make it resistant to the only existing therapy to combat this disease, which is responsible for nearly half a million deaths a year. Its study is crucial to anticipate how effective the current treatment will be, and to be able to increase its effect and longevity.

She has a doctorate in Medical Sciences from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm (2011), where she began her study on the resistance of the malaria parasite to available treatment and continued her post-doctoral studies. She has been collaborating with Columbia University (USA) and the ICVS on malaria parasite research for four years.

Maria Inês de Almeida (33), from i3S - Institute for Research and Innovation in Health - University of Porto, is studying non-coding RNA molecules, trying to determine whether they are capable of "instructing" cells to regenerate tissue, particularly bone tissue, helping to stop diseases such as osteoporosis, treat congenital defects or recover from injuries and surgeries.

She holds a PhD from the University of Minho and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where she studied the biological effects of microRNAs in colorectal cancer. In 2013 she began her postdoctoral studies at i3S, continuing to study the role of microRNAs and RNA molecules.

Patrícia Baptista (33), from the Center for Studies in Innovation, Technology and Development Policies IN+ - Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), is working on a research project whose aim is to improve urban mobility by developing a tool that effectively assesses the shortest, most economical, safest, least polluting and health-damaging routes, especially for users with greater mobility difficulties.

He obtained his PhD in Sustainable Energy Systems (IST) under the MIT Portugal Program (2011), having dedicated himself to Assessing the Impact of Alternative Technologies and Fuels in the Road Sector. She went on to do post-doctoral work at the Associate Laboratory Energy, Transport and Aeronautics (IST), assessing the Energy, Environmental and Economic Impact of Communication and Information Technologies on Urban Mobility.