25 years of Science and Innovation
LEPABE work highlighted by Biosfera program (RTP2)
Posted on June 20th, 2025
PhD students Mariana Sousa and Ana Rita Pereira, from the Biotechnology group of LEPABE, participated in episode no. 23 of the Biosfera program, broadcasted by RTP2. This episode, titled "One Health," focuses on raising awareness about good environmental practices related to energy, biodiversity, and nature conservation.
In this episode, the researchers discuss the growing issue of bacterial resistance to cleaning and disinfection products. They also address the impact of emergent contaminants, such as parabens, on the quality and safety of drinking water. Their insights contribute to the broader conversation on environmental and public health.
Full episode available here.
LEPABE was granted new projects in FCT 2023 call
Posted on June 16th, 2025
In the latest FCT call, LEPABE was awarded 3 Exploratory Research Projects and 13 Scientific Research and Technological Development Projects. LEPABE is the lead institution in 13 of these projects and a partner institution in 3 others, securing approximately 2.3 M€ in funding over the next three years.
Congratulations!
IC&DT Projects
ASAP-WATER (Vera Homem)
Biogas2Hy (Miguel Soria)
DreamPEC (Paula Dias)
FODMAPS (Tânia Tavares)
HCAI_Desinfect (Manuel Simões)
LiquidMining (António Ferreira)
MultAntiBiofilm (Anabela Borges)
NanoBiBacT (Joana Loureiro)
Oligo4Resistance (Nuno Azevedo)
Perovskite4Space (Vera Duarte)
PlasURE (Nuno Ratola)
SHIELD-HMP (Arminda Alves)
SHIPSUSTAIR (Sofia Sousa)
Exploratory Research Projects
PowerBotPills (Artur Pinto)
Isense4St (Maria do Carmo Pereira)
SMARTAIR4SCHOOL (Pedro Branco)
LEPABE work highlighted by RDP podcast “Isto faz-se por cá”
Posted on June 6th, 2025
Maria do Carmo Pereira and Joana Loureiro, researchers from the Supramolecular Assemblies group at LEPABE, were interviewed by the RDP radio podcast “Isto faz-se por cá”, broadcasted on May, 23rd. The podcast addresses interesting initiatives and innovative projects developed in Portugal.
This episode was dedicated to the topic “Nanoparticles for controlled drug delivery in the brain”, wherein the researchers describe a new system with nanoparticles that transport and release drugs in the brain, to help the combat of neurological diseases.
Listen to the full episode here (in Portuguese).
PhD Thesis by Jorge Martins on Highly Stable Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells
May 29th 2025
LEPABE would like to congratulate Dr. Jorge Martins for his PhD thesis of the Doctoral Program in Environmental Engineering, entitled “Development of Highly Stable Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells”, supervised by Prof. Adélio Mendes, defended on May 29th, 2025 FEUP.
PhD Thesis by Filipe Almeida on Bioprocess intensification
May 16th 2025
LEPABE would like to congratulate Dr. Filipe Almeida for his PhD thesis of the Doctoral Program in Chemical and Biological Engineering, entitled “Bioprocess intensification - Effect of solids on gas-liquid mass transfer in an oscillatory flow reactor operating in batch and continuous mode” supervised by Dr. António Ferreira, defended on May 16th, 2025 FEUP.
PhD Thesis by João Vindeirinho on Nucleic acid-based point-of-care strategies
May 15th 2025
LEPABE would like to congratulate Dr. João Vindeirinho for his PhD thesis of the Doctoral Program in Chemical and Biological Engineering, entitled “Nucleic acid-based point-of-care strategies for the detection of RNA viruses” supervised by Dr. Carina Almeida, defended on May 15th, 2025 FEUP.
LEPABE hired 2 researchers under FCT - TENURE call
Posted on May 15th, 2025
The researchers Artur Pinto and Paula Dias, from Process, Products and Energy group of LEPABE were recently hired as permanent assistant researchers under the FCT-TENURE call, reinforcing LEPABE's commitment to contribute to the stabilization of the scientific career of PhD researchers in Portugal.
Congratulations!
Habilitation title was granted to Prof. Filipe Mergulhão
Posted on May 14th, 2025
LEPABE senior member Prof. Filipe Mergulhão had his public defense for the attribution of the habilitation title, with the topic of “Surface engineering and testing for anti-biofilm applications”, on May 13th, 2025, at FEUP.
The habilitation title was approved unanimously by the members of the jury.
Congratulations!
PhD Thesis by Telmo Lopes on solarfuels
May 5th 2025
LEPABE would like to congratulate Dr. Telmo Lopes for his PhD thesis of the Doctoral Program in Environmental Engineering, entitled “SOLARFUELS - Photoelectrochemical Conversion and Storage of Energy: Beyond Hydrogen”, supervised by Prof. Adélio Mendes, defended on May 5th, 2025 FEUP.
Francisco X. Malcata distinguished with the 2025 Biotechnology Achievement Award
Posted on May 7th, 2025
Prof. F. Xavier Malcata, Senior Researcher at LEPABE, is the recipient of the 2025 Biotechnology Division Achievement Award, sponsored by the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS). The prize was attributed during the 2025 AOCS Annual Meeting & Expo, that happened from April 27 to 30, 2025 in Oregon, USA.
This award recognizes a scientist, technology or leader who has made significant contributions to the advancement of the Biotechnology field.
Congratulations!
More information about this award here.
PhD Thesis by Rafael Nunes on reducing atmospheric emissions from Shipping
April 30th 2025
LEPABE would like to congratulate Dr. Rafael Nunes for his PhD thesis of the Doctoral Program in Environmental Engineering, entitled “Towards reducing atmospheric emissions from Shipping - Forecasting and assessing human health impact”, supervised by Dr. Sofia Sousa, defended on April 30th, 2025 FEUP.
PhD Thesis by Henrique Sousa on microalgae-bacteria systems
April 28th 2025
LEPABE would like to congratulate Dr. Henrique Sousa for his PhD thesis of the Doctoral Program in Chemical and Biological Engineering, entitled “Development of a microalgae-bacteria system to remove emerging contaminants from wastewater”, supervised by Prof. Manuel Simões, defended on April 28th, 2025 FEUP.
Program “Cientificamente Provável”
Posted on April 11th, 2025
Under the scope of the “Cientificamente Provável” program, created by the School Library Network in partnership with the FCT through research units, LEPABE organized three activities in March, aimed at elementary and high school students.
With the collaboration of several researchers, LEPABE organized 2 visits to its laboratories, for 9th grade students from Escola Básica e Secundária de Lousada Oeste and Escola Básica de Santa Bárbara, Fânzeres, who published this initiative on the school's social networks.
In addition to the two visits to the laboratories, two researchers from LEPABE visited the Escola Secundária de Carvalhos, as part of Reading Week, to present a workshop on “Solar cells and sodium batteries: a revolution for the energy of the future”, for an 8th grade class and a 10th grade class.
LEPABE work on Legionella highlighted by CNN Inovação program
Posted on April 24th, 2025
The researchers Luís Melo, Nuno Azevedo and Ana Alexandra Pereira from the Biotechnology group of LEPABE, participated in CNN Inovação program, broadcasted by CNN channel, which gives voice to Portuguese researchers and their projects.
In this episode, the researchers talk about the Legionella impact on the society and the research done at our laboratories on the topic, establishing the link between the proliferation of Legionella, the development and growth of this bacterium and the existence of biofilms and their interaction with the Legionella.
Emeritus Professor title attributed to Arminda Alves
Posted on April 4th, 2025
The senior member of LEPABE, Prof. Arminda Alves, from the Environmental Sciences and Technologies group, was distinguished with the title of Emeritus Professor, in the UP’s Day Ceremony, on March 24th, 2025.
In this nomination, Prof. Arminda Alves sees the acknowledgement of her 40 years old career trajectory marked by the high services provided to Science, Society and University. It is important to mention her role in positions such as Director of DEQ/FEUP, and coordinator of LEPABE and ALiCE.
Congratulations!
Know more here.
UP Scientific Research Excellence Award 2025
Posted on April 1st, 2025
The senior member Prof. Adélio Mendes, leader of the Processes, Products and Energy group of LEPABE, was the recipient of this year’s University of Porto Scientific Research Excellence Award in the category of Exact Sciences, Engineering and Technologies, in the UP’s Day Ceremony, on March 24th, 2025.
Prof. Adélio Mendes was awarded the University of Porto Scientific Research Excellence Award, acknowledging his work performance in terms of scientific production and fundraising for scientific research activities over the last five years.
Congratulations!
Know more here.
3rd SYMPOSIUM ON ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE
Posted on February 19th, 2025
LEPABE researchers from the Nano4Med group organized the “3rd SYMPOSIUM ON ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE: an update on pathology and therapeutics” that took place on the 6-7th February 2025, at FEUP, Porto, Portugal.
The symposium counted with 70 participants of multiple nationalities and renowned speakers in the field of neurosciences, including Prof. Gert Fricker (University of Heidelberg), Prof. Maria José Diógenes (Faculty of Medicine of Lisbon), Claudia Guimas Almeida (NOVA Medical School in Lisbon), Prof. Tiago Gil Oliveira (University of Minho), among others. In this symposium, students and researchers had the opportunity to learn about the recent innovations and new techniques on AD mechanisms, diagnosis and therapy. 20 participants had the opportunity to participate in the workshop “Production and Characterization of Nanoparticles for Loading Bioactive Compounds”.
Know more about this event here.
InnovAntiBiofilm kick-off meeting
Posted on March 18th, 2025
The InnovAntiBiofilm project was officially launched with a successful kick-off meeting on October 22–23, 2024, in Porto, Portugal. This event marked the beginning of an ambitious initiative to develop innovative strategies using new antibiotic adjuvants to control biofilm resistance.
InnovAntiBiofilm is a Horizon Europe-funded Twinning project coordinated by Prof. Manuel Simões (LEPABE, FEUP, Portugal), which aims to enhance research excellence through collaboration with top European institutions. Focused on sustainable strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance, it explores plant-derived bioactive compounds for biofilm-related infections. Bridging research gaps through knowledge exchange and capacity building, the project unites FEUP (Portugal), Fraunhofer IME (Germany), CEA (France), and KPMG (Portugal), combining expertise in microbiology, metabolic engineering, bioprocessing, and medicinal chemistry.
Know more about this event here.
Last Lecture by Prof. Arminda Alves: Uncertainty analysis in fast-changing environments
February 21st, 2025
Prof. Arminda Alves, senior researcher of LEPABE, will have her last lecture on February 21st, at FEUP’s Auditorium.
The Last Lecture of Prof. Arminda Alves aims to promote a reflection on uncertainty analysis in context of fast change, linking her career in teaching and research in the field of analytical uncertainty to that of management, marked by the constant challenge of seeking solutions. The lecture seeks to highlight the importance of uncertainty as a driver of innovation, integrating it into the development of robust solutions for an uncertain future—one that is nonetheless full of opportunities.
Entrance in the FEUP’s Auditorium is free. To attend to the dinner, please register here (confirmation of the inscription will be required).
LEPABE hosts the 1st General Meeting of the COST Action Net4CleanAir
Posted on February 14th, 2025
The 1st General Meeting of the COST Action CA23139 - Network for Indoor Air Cleaning (Net4CleanAir) was hosted by LEPABE at the Faculty of Engineering of University of Porto (FEUP), on January 27-28th, 2025.
Bringing together 52 participants in person and 55 online from 29 countries, the meeting marked an important milestone in advancing the Action’s scientific and innovation activities. This event reflected the strong commitment of a motivated network working towards a shared vision: promoting clean air for healthy and energy-efficient indoor environments across Europe.
The Net4CleanAir COST Action is chaired by Sofia Sousa, senior researcher at LEPABE, and includes other LEPABE researchers among its active members. Learn more about this COST Action here.
LEPABE member is editor-in-chief of Renewable Energy
Posted on January 28th, 2025
Professor Nídia Sá Caetano, senior researcher of Processes, Products and Energy group of LEPABE, is Editor-in-chief of the Renewable Energy journal.
With a relevant impact factor, Renewable Energy journal, seeks to promote and disseminate knowledge on the various topics and technologies of renewable energy systems and components.
As an international, multi-disciplinary journal in renewable energy engineering and research, the journal aims to be a leading peer-reviewed platform and an authoritative source of original research and reviews related to renewable energy.
More information about this journal can be found here.
Book: Fundamentals of Biocatalysts
Posted on January 17th, 2025
Professor F. Xavier Malcata, from thee Biotechnology group of LEPABE, is the author of the book "Fundamentals of Biocatalysts: Cell Structure and Function", published by Springer.
This textbook covers the essentials of cells as biocatalysts, including cell morphology, cell genetics, cell metabolism, cell operation, cell stoichiometry, cell engineering, and cell interaction. A pragmatic and systematic approach is provided to all such topics, from the point of view of a biological engineer – illustrated by criteriously selected and carefully solved problems, proposed at the end of each section.
Know more about this book here.
PhD Thesis by Priscilla Silva on Airborne SARS-Cov2 indoor air contamination
January 9th 2025
LEPABE would like to congratulate Dr. Priscilla Silva for her PhD thesis of the Doctoral Program in Biomedical Sciences, entitled “Airborne SARS-Cov2: Indoor air contamination by SARS-Cov2: characterization and development of a new detection tool” co-supervised by Dr. Sofia Sousa, defended on January 9th, 2025 ICBAS.
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