ITQB NOVA scientist distinguished with Medal of Scientific Merit
The Minister for Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor, awarded scientist Helena Santos with the Medal of Scientific Merit. The medal recognises the contribution of the ITQB NOVA's Lab Head to Portuguese science, especially in the field of extremophilic organisms that thrive in environments where the temperature is around 100ºC, and in the pioneering use of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) techniques for the in vivo study of various cellular systems, from bacteria to neurons.
Helena Santos has led ITQB NOVA's Laboratory of Cell Physiology and NMR since 1989. She is currently researching enzymes essential for the growth of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis, with the aim of discovering activity inhibitors that may lead to the development of new antibiotics.
"Portuguese Science has experienced a remarkable development since April 1974," said Helena Santos. "It is a great honor to see my work recognised as having contributed to this development. I especially thank ITQB NOVA, my PhD Supervisor, Prof. António Xavier, and my collaborators, who were essential for the success of my scientific career".
"Helena Santos made fundamental contributions to the advancement of Portuguese Science. She has built an outstanding international reputation and made Portugal recognised in scientific areas such as metabolic engineering, in vivo Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and the physiology of microorganisms, especially those that inhabit inhospitable environments", declared Cláudio M. Soares, Director of ITQB NOVA.
The scientist has a degree in Chemical Engineering, a Master's degree in Inorganic Physical Chemistry and a PhD in Biophysics. She is a Full Professor at Universidade NOVA de Lisboa and a correspondent member of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences. She was also President of the International Society for Extremophiles for 5 years.
The researcher was previously awarded the Gulbenkian Science Prize (1998), the Scientific Productivity Prize from the Ministry for Science and Technology (2004), the Pestana City Hall Prize (2007), the Torres Vedras City Hall Medal of Merit (2014) — her hometown, and the Career Prize awarded by the International Society for Extremophiles (2016).
The Medal of Scientific Merit was awarded today during Ciência2019, the national scientific meeting, which takes place until next Wednesday at the Lisbon Congress Centre (CCL). Manuel Nunes da Ponte, former director of ITQB NOVA and Professor of the Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia of Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, was also distinguished. The Portuguese Prime Minister, António Costa, took part in the award ceremony.
