L'Oréal Portugal Medals of Honor distinguish three more young scientists

Elisabete Oliveira (REQUIMTE, FCT-UNL), Ana Catarina Fonseca (iMM Lisboa, FML-UL) and Ana Faria (ISPA – MARE), are the three researchers distinguished in the 12th edition of the “L’Oréal Portugal Medals of Honor for Women in Science”, created by L’Oréal Portugal, in partnership with the National Commission of UNESCO and the Foundation for Science and Technology.

This annual award, worth R$20,000 each, aims to promote women's participation in Science, encouraging the youngest and most promising scientists, at the beginning of their careers, to carry out advanced studies in the areas of Health Sciences and Environmental Sciences.

The three young winners, selected from more than 70 candidates, join the group of 37 female scientists who have been supported by the L'Oréal Portugal award since its inception in 2004.

Present since the first edition, the FCT continues to support the L'Óréal Portugal Medals of Honor for Women in Science, ensuring that the proposals received are evaluated by a panel of scientists of recognized merit. Ana Sanchez, member of the Board of Directors, expresses the FCT's commitment to this initiative, "It is a source of pride to be able to contribute to supporting a new generation of scientists, full of promise and potential, and thus give a boost to science carried out in Portugal, and to maintaining the place of women in science in our country. In fact, Portugal leads in European indicators on equity in R&D: in the total population of researchers, 45% are women (the European average is 33%); in top positions in scientific bodies and university administration, 30% are women; Portugal is still the third country with the highest percentage of women with qualifications above a master's degree (56%, compared to the European average of 47%).

About the three award-winning researchers:

Elisabete Oliveira (32 years old) wants to develop a new generation of luminescent nanoparticles to be used in the discovery of new biomarkers in cancer cells and in the creation of devices for the controlled distribution and release of drugs in these cells. Her research aims to develop a more incisive, but non-invasive therapy, whose action can be monitored through the luminescence of the nanoparticles, leading to a controlled dosage that mitigates adverse effects, while also combating resistance to conventional chemotherapy.

Elisabete Oliveira holds a PhD in Biotechnology (2010) from the Faculty of Science and Technology of the Universidade Nova de Lisboa. She spent two years at the University of Vigo, Spain, as a postdoctoral researcher. She now holds the same responsibilities in the BIOSCOPE group at UCIBIO-REQUIMTE, the institution where she obtained her PhD. She obtained funding from the FCT under the 2014 FCT Researcher Program. Her areas of interest are analytical chemistry, nanotechnology and nanoproteomics.

Ana Catarina Fonseca (34 years old) intends to study the heart structure of patients who have suffered Cerebrovascular Accidents (CVAs) of various origins, including those of undetermined origin. Through comparison, she will try to understand whether there are changes that can be used to diagnose and prevent new Ischemic Strokes of undetermined etiology, namely those that currently depend on a time-consuming and not always possible diagnosis of Atrial Fibrillation.

Ana Catarina obtained her PhD in Medicine, specializing in Neurology, from the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon (2014). In the same year, she completed a Masters in Public Health at Harvard University (USA), after completing two masters degrees: in Stroke Medicine, at the University of Danube Krems, Austria, and in Neuroscience, at the University of Lisbon. She is a researcher at the Institute of Molecular Medicine, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Lisbon and a physician at the Hospital de Santa Maria.

Ana Faria (34) intends to study how fish on the Portuguese coast are being affected by the increase in ocean water acidity, a consequence of rising _CO2 levels. This circumstance has already proven to have harmful effects on the marine ecosystem, putting at risk the sustainability of marine fish, an essential resource for humanity.

 Ana Faria holds a PhD in Marine Ecology from the University of Algarve (2010). She began her postdoctoral research at ISPA – Instituto Universitário, as part of the MARE Research Center, where she continues to do research. She teaches undergraduate Biology and the Masters in Marine Biology and Conservation.

(Image credits: L'Oréal Portugal )