Centro de Química Estrutural

📸 Highlights from the workshop "Trends in Applied Organic Chemistry: Sustainable Synthesis and Health Applications".

Professor Alexandra Antunes delivered an engaging lecture entitled "Metabolic Clues and Covalent Solutions Across the Drug Development Pipeline", sharing valuable insights into innovative approaches in drug discovery and development.

On 15 and 16 July, the Portuguese Science and Innovation 2026 Summit took place, marking the first event organised by the Agência para a Investigação e Inovação. During these two days, participants discussed strategic priorities, which will shape the development of science and innovation in Portugal over the coming decades. Prof. Isabel Marrucho represented CQE and IMS in the parallel session on "Materials and Bioeconomy", where she presented "Catalysing Industry for Decarbonisation, Circularity and Resource Efficiency Lead Proponent”.

On 16 July 2026, CQE welcomed Prof. Andrey S. Klymchenko for a BTT seminar on "Fluorescent Organic Nanoparticles for Biosensing." Director of Research at CNRS and head of the Photoactive Materials and Bioimaging Group at the University of Strasbourg, he presented recent advances in polymeric fluorescent nanoparticles and light-harvesting nanomaterials for ultrasensitive biosensing and molecular diagnostics.

CQEDays 2026 brought the CQE community together at CIÊNCIAS on 29–30 June for two days of science and collaboration. The programme featured plenary lectures, 15 oral presentations, 9 flash talks, 126 posters, and a round table on the future of science and innovation in Portugal.

CQE researcher Andreia Valente is featured in Revista Liderança no Feminino, sharing her vision on leadership, innovation, and the impact of science. Drawing on her experience in academia and entrepreneurship, she highlights the importance of translating scientific knowledge into real-world solutions. Her journey also reinforces the crucial role of women in scientific leadership, demonstrating how they can drive innovation with purpose, responsibility, and societal impact.

Carlos Nieto de Castro, Emeritus Professor at CIÊNCIAS ULisboa, has been honored by an international committee with the European triennial career award in Thermophysics (ECTP2026 Lifetime Award), in recognition of the impact of the Thermophysics School that he founded and developed. The award recognizes outstanding and enduring scientific contributions to research in thermophysical properties, whether in academia or industry.

📢 CQE BreakThrough Talks (CQE BTT) – Next Thursday!

Join us next Thursday, 16 July, at 10:30 in QA1.3 (Southern Tower, Técnico ULisboa, Campus Alameda) for the next session of the CQE BTT.

Invited speaker: Prof. Dr. Andrey S. Klymchenko

Title: Fluorescent Organic Nanoparticles for Biosensing

Prof. Klymchenko is Director of Research at CNRS and leads the Photoactive Materials and Bioimaging group at the University of Strasbourg. His research focuses on fluorescent molecules and nanomaterials for biosensing, bioimaging and in vitro diagnostics. He is the recipient of several prestigious distinctions, including ERC Consolidator and Advanced Grants, the CNRS Bronze and Silver Medals, and membership of Academia Europaea.

In this seminar, he will present recent advances in fluorescent organic nanoparticles and their applications in biosensing, including the detection of cancer and viral biomarkers, neurotransmitter sensing, and the development of innovative nanomaterials for diagnostics.

See you there!

Congratulations to CQE researcher Pedro Mendes, a founding member of the new Artificial Intelligence for Chemical Engineering section of the EFCE. Pedro will also serve as Vice-Chair of the Education Working Group until 2028. This new initiative will promote the responsible use of AI in chemical engineering, strengthening collaboration, research, education, and industrial innovation across Europe.

Pedro Mendes, from Instituto Superior Técnico, was distinguished with the Ramôa Ribeiro Prize 2026 at the XIII Encontro Nacional de Catálise e Materiais Porosos and IV Encontro do Grupo do Carbono (XIII ENCMP and IV RGC) presenting an invited talk entitled “Rethinking catalyst design: from literature data to multi-scale process optimization”

This prize is granted by the Divisão de Catálise e Materiais Porosos e do Grupo do Carbono of the Sociedade Portuguesa de Química to a Young Researcher recognizing the scientific work carried out in Portugal and significant contribution to the advancement of catalysis and porous materials in any of their areas of application.

✨ That's a wrap on CQE Days 2026! ✨

What an incredible few days of learning, collaboration, innovation, and unforgettable moments. A huge thank you to everyone who attended, presented, organized, and contributed to making this event such a success.