13th L'Oréal Medal of Honor for Women in Science

(English version available soon)

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 National Commission of UNESCO, 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 who carry out research in the areas of infertility, malaria, bone regeneration and mobility, respectively. The award ceremony took place this Tuesday, February 7, at the Pavilhão do Conhecimento, and was attended by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.

This annual award from L'Oréal Portugal, worth €15,000 each, is aimed at young Portuguese scientists who carry out research in Portugal, who already have a PhD and are up to 35 years old, and who carry out original studies that are relevant to health and/or the environment. The award was established in 2004, and aims to motivate and support young scientists to continue their projects. To date, this award has distinguished 41 researchers in Portugal.

About the awarded researchers:

Ana Rita Marques (36 years old), from the Gulbenkian Institute of Science (IGC), seeks to unravel 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 can open new lines of research, with applications in the area of female infertility, tissue regeneration, diseases related to embryonic malformations and cancer.

She completed 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 began 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 IGC, in the Cell Cycle Regulation Group, under the guidance of Mónica Bettencourt Dias and with the support of FCT.

Isabel Veiga (35 years old), from the Institute of Research in Life Sciences and Health (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, responsible for nearly half a million deaths per year. Its study becomes crucial to anticipate to what extent the current treatment will be effective, and to be able to increase its effect and longevity.

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

Maria Inês de Almeida (33 years old), from i3S – Institute for Research and Innovation in Health – University of Porto, studies non-coding RNA molecules, seeking to determine whether they are capable of “instructing” cells to regenerate tissues, particularly bone tissue, helping to stop diseases such as osteoporosis, treat birth 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 he started his postdoctoral studies at i3S, continuing to study the role of microRNAs and RNA molecules.

Patrícia Baptista (33 years old), from the Center for Studies in Innovation, Technology and Development Policies IN+ – Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), is developing a research project whose objective is to improve urban mobility through the development of 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) within the scope of the MIT Portugal Program (2011), having dedicated himself to the Assessment of the Impact of Alternative Technologies and Fuels in the Road Sector. He continued his post-doctorate at Associate Laboratory of Energy, Transport and Aeronautics (IST), assessing the Energy, Environmental and Economic Impact of Communication and Information Technologies on Urban Mobility.