Vade-Mecum 2019
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COLÉGIO de QUÍMICA VADE-MECUM Research on Chemistry in the ULisboa April 2019 Research on Chemistry in the ULisboa Colégio de Química da Universidade de Lisboa College of Chemistry of the University of Lisboa (ULisboa) Research on Chemistry in the ULisboa Information coordinated by Nuno Conceição (S&T Manager) Lisboa 2019 1 Research on Chemistry in the ULisboa INDEX Preface – Message from President of the Colégio de Química da Universidade de Lisboa ........ 3 Faculdade de Ciências (FC) / Faculty of Sciences ................................................................. 7 CQB – Center of Chemistry and Biochemistry ....................................................................... 7 CQE Ciências – Centro de Química Estrutural ..................................................................... 49 BioISI – BioSystems and Integrative Sciences Institute ....................................................... 67 Faculdade de Farmácia (FF) / Faculty of Pharmacy ............................................................. 73 iMed.ULisboa – Research Institute for Medicines ................................................................ 73 Faculdade de Medicina (FM) / Faculty of Medicine............................................................. 133 iMM – Instituto de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes ................................................ 133 Faculdade de Motricidade Humana (FMH) / Faculty of Human Kinetics ........................... 140 Physiology and Biochemistry of Exercise Laboratory ......................................................... 140 Instituto Superior de Agronomia (ISA) / School of Agriculture ......................................... 147 CEF – Forest Research Centre .......................................................................................... 147 LEAF – Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture and Food ........................................ 151 Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) / IST Técnico Lisboa ........................................................ 158 CQE – Centro de Química Estrutural ................................................................................. 158 CQFM – Centro de Química-Física Molecular .................................................................... 275 CeFEMA – Center of Physics and Engineering of Advanced Materials .............................. 283 CERENA – Center for Natural Resources and the Environment ........................................ 289 C2TN – Center for Nuclear Sciences and Technologies .................................................... 309 ANNEX – Research Centres and Groups of Chemistry at ULisboa ................................... 362 2 Research on Chemistry in the ULisboa Preface A main aim of the Colégio de Química da Universidade de Lisboa (College of Chemistry of the University of Lisbon) concerns the promotion of scientific links and collaboration in Chemistry (including also Chemical Engineering) among the researchers of the various Schools of this University (ULisboa). This is even contemplated in the logo of the College, the benzene ring where the six Schools that integrate the College stand for the carbon vertices, with interactions/links promoted by resonance all around them. The benzene molecule (the College) is dynamic, as suggested by the unconventional oblique orientation in its motion. The idea of extended interaction/link conceivably is consistent with the auroboros, depicting a snake with the mouth grabbing its tail, a symbol of the Egyptian iconography that was used by the alchemists and apparently inspired Kekulé (so he said) in a daydream to propose the benzene structure. The symbol has been used under different forms, such as that in a plate of the Analytical Laboratory (Laboratório de Análises) of the Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), which belonged to Prof. Herculano de Carvalho, and that in Fig.1 we have included within the benzene ring. Figure 1. Plate with the auroboros symbol at the Laboratório de Análises of the Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), framed with a benzene ring. Thanks are due to Dr. Maria Cândida Vaz (Laboratório de Análises) for making accessible the plate and to Prof. M. Fátima Guedes da Silva (Deputy President for the Communication and Image of the College) for the design of the benzene structure. 3 Research on Chemistry in the ULisboa The six Schools of the ULisboa with Chemistry are as follows (in alphabetical order of the Portuguese name): Faculdade de Ciências (Faculty of Sciences), Faculdade de Farmácia (Faculty of Pharmacy), Faculdade de Medicina (Faculty of Medicine), Faculdade de Motricidade Humana (Faculty of Human Kinetics), Instituto Superior de Agronomia (School of Agriculture), and Instituto Superior Técnico (IST Técnico Lisboa). Chemistry is mainly addressed by the IST Técnico Lisboa and the Faculty of Sciences, the former being also the School of Engineering. The scientific collaboration towards the exterior of the ULisboa, including other national and foreign universities and the industrial sector, is also being fostered by the College. For stimulating both the internal and the external collaborative links, an important step of the College activities concerns the promotion of a better knowledge of the interests of the researchers and academic staff of the various Schools of the ULisboa in terms of their scientific areas, research groups, projects and even relevant material resources (equipment). This vade mecum provides a guide at hand for that purpose, as a collection (the first one undertaken at the ULisboa, to our knowledge) of individual researchers and research Groups based on the information gathered through an enquiry that was addressed to all the members of the College and to the Coordinators of all the Research Units and Groups in which we identified interests on Chemical Sciences. This allowed to cover a spectrum as wide as possible comprehending as well the research Groups that, although being focussed on other sciences, also involve Chemistry in their studies. The information was compiled by Nuno Conceição, the College Manager, to whom I address my deep appreciation. Within the individual researchers section, this publication is organized according to the Schools and their Research Units, and the researcher names are ordered alphabetically. Under a complementary perspective, the list of Research Units and their Groups is depicted as an Annex, ordered according to the Schools, Research Units and Groups, with indication of the Coordinators, areas of Chemistry and the corresponding main Divisions of the College (Energy & Environment, Materials, Technology & Industry, and Life & Health). However, one should take into consideration that the reorganization of some Research Units and Groups has been proposed within their evaluation which is under way by the Foundation for Science and Technology (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia, FCT), and can lead to considerable structural alterations in some cases. In those situations that we are aware of, notes have been added to the appropriate places in the Annex. This initiative of the College complements others which also contribute to fostering the knowledge of ongoing research towards favouring cooperation, including the organization of annual Conferences and PhD Summer Schools gathering the researchers at the ULisboa, post-graduate students and the industrial sector (a Workshop with industry is being organized for July, this year, bridging the annual conference and the summer school). 4 Research on Chemistry in the ULisboa From the inspection of this vade mecum, which comprises over 100 detailed individual researchers, 45 Groups and 13 Research Units developing research in Chemistry, a few general observations can be drawn, such as the following ones: - The research spans over a rather wide spectrum of scientific fields, from pure to oriented and applied chemistry, encompassing not only traditional areas but also current hot topics and challenges, illustrating the modern diversity of chemical sciences, the richness and interdisciplinary character of Chemistry at the ULisboa; - Fruitful cooperations have been established with recognized foreign research groups; - However, national collaborations among members of different Schools are still quite limited, with tendency for carrying out the research activities within their own groups, a propensity that is also patent even within each research unit itself; - Tendency for fusion or integration of smaller research units into larger ones, what eventually can favour scientific cooperation and a better use of resources, thus following the spirit of the creation of the ULisboa upon fusion of the two main Universities therein; - Scientific publications in highly ranked journals and, although in a restricted number of cases, editions of international books illustrate the recognized level of research undertaken at the ULisboa; - Limited external funding: restricted number of research projects that are financed out of the ordinary budget of the research units obtained from the FCT, namely international ones funded by the EU, projects with the industrial sector and even projects approved by FCT within national calls; - Equipment facilities are often insufficient and/or require updating; - Human resources are versatile, some groups showing a high capacity of attraction of foreign researchers, namely from Russia and other countries of the former USSR, from India, from China, etc.; a significant number of foreign researchers are members of the College and have provided