25 years of Science and Innovation
LEPABE Researcher Selected in IACOBUS Program - Scientific Papers 2025/2026
Posted on April 30th, 2026
Ana Cristina Afonso, a researcher from the Biotechnology group of LEPABE, has been selected as a beneficiary of the IACOBUS Program - Scientific Papers 2025/2026, highlighting her contribution to high-impact scientific research.
The recognition follows her involvement in the scientific article titled “Physicochemical, Structural, and Proteomic Insights into Drinking Water-Isolated Acinetobacter calcoaceticus Aggregation and Biofilm Dynamics”, developed in collaboration with CRETUS at the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela.
This distinction underscores the value of international collaboration in fostering high-quality scientific publications and advancing the dissemination of knowledge through impactful research.
Congratulations!
PhD Thesis by Pedro Cerqueira on production of hydrogen from agro-industrial wastewater
April 17th, 2026
LEPABE would like to congratulate Dr. Pedro Cerqueira for his PhD thesis of the Doctoral Program in Chemical and Biological Engineering, entitled “Autothermal sorption-enhanced reforming for the production of hydrogen from agro-industrial wastewater”, supervised by Miguel A. Soria, defended on April 17th, 2026 FEUP.
PhD Thesis by Hiten Chojer on indoor air quality monitoring in schools
April 14th, 2026
LEPABE would like to congratulate Dr. Hiten Chojer for his PhD thesis of the Doctoral Program in Environmental Engineering, entitled “Development of a low-cost sensors device for indoor air quality monitoring in schools”, supervised by Sofia Sousa, defended on April 14th, 2026 FEUP.
PhD Thesis by Joana Martins on hybrid reactors for CO2 capture and valorization
April 7th, 2026
LEPABE would like to congratulate Dr. Joana Martins for her PhD thesis of the Doctoral Program in Chemical and Biological Engineering, entitled “Design of hybrid reactors for CO2 capture and valorization through methanation - application to biogas and flue gas”, supervised by Luís Miguel Madeira, defended on April 7th, 2026 FEUP.
Manuel Simões receives U. Porto 2026 Scientific Research Excellence Award
Posted on March 20th, 2026
Prof. Manuel Simões, a senior researcher in the biotechnology group at LEPABE, has been recognized as one of the winners of the U. Porto Scientific Research Excellence Award 2026 in the area of Exact Sciences, Engineering and Technologies.
This distinction honours researchers who are both nationally and internationally recognized in their fields and who, over the past five years, have demonstrated outstanding achievements in scientific output and success in securing research funding at the University of Porto.
Between 2020 and 2024, Manuel Simões was consecutively included in the Highly Cited Researchers list, an initiative by Clarivate Analytics that annually identifies the world’s most influential scientists. His research focuses on biofilms, the development of antimicrobial strategies to control microbial growth, and bioprocess engineering.
Congratulations on this achievement!
More information can be found here.
PhD Thesis by Joana Príncipe on Perovskite Solar Cells
March 18th, 2026
LEPABE would like to congratulate Dr. Joana Príncipe for her PhD thesis of the Doctoral Program in Chemical and Biological Engineering, entitled “Study and Optimization of Inverted Perovskite Solar Cells for Energy-Enabled Street Furniture” supervised by Prof. Luísa Andrade, defended on March 18th, 2026 FEUP.
PhD Thesis by Joana Bôto on antimicrobial agents
March 3rd, 2026
LEPABE would like to congratulate Dr. Joana Bôto for her PhD thesis of the Doctoral Program in Food Consumption and Nutrition Sciences, entitled “Assessing the sustainability of dietary patterns in Portugal: A multidimensional approach based on environmental, nutritional, and economic dimensions” co-supervised by Prof. Belmira Neto, defended on March 3rd, 2026 FCNAUP.
PhD Thesis by Bárbara Nunes on antimicrobial agents
January 26th, 2026
LEPABE would like to congratulate Dr. Bárbara Nunes for her PhD thesis of the Doctoral Program in Chemical and Biological Engineering, entitled “Quaternary ammonium and phosphonium salts as antimicrobial agents: synthesis, biological evaluation, and mechanistic insights” supervised by Prof. Manuel Simões, defended on January 26th, 2026 FEUP.
PhD Thesis by Francisca Cunha on protecting healthcare professionals from drugs' hazards
January 12th, 2026
LEPABE would like to congratulate Dr. Maria Francisca Cunha for her PhD thesis of the Doctoral Program in Chemical and Biological Engineering, entitled “The overlooked side of cancer therapy - tools to protect healthcare professionals from antineoplastic drugs' hazards”, supervised by Mónica Santos, defended on January 12th, 2026 FEUP.
PhD Thesis by Ana Rita Pereira on drinking water bacterial biofilms
January 9th, 2026
LEPABE would like to congratulate Dr. Ana Rita Pereira for her PhD thesis of the Doctoral Program in Chemical and Biological Engineering, entitled “Understanding the impact of parabens on drinking water bacterial biofilms”, supervised by Manuel Simões, defended on January 9th, 2026 FEUP.
LEPABE whishes you all a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a happy 2026!
Posted on December 23rd, 2025
LEPABE team awarded 2nd prize in the SheLeads Ventures Programme
Posted on December 19th, 2025
A team of researchers from LEPABE has been awarded 2nd place in the 1st edition of the SheLeads Ventures Programme, promoted by U.Porto Inovação. The awarded team includes Anabela Borges, Ariana Gonçalves, Lília Teixeira, Manuel Simões, and Miguel Leitão, members of the Biotechnology group.
Their project, BERMICIN Care, is an innovative technology designed for the at-home treatment of chronic wound infections. These wounds, which fail to heal as expected and remain open for extended periods, are often associated with conditions such as advanced age, diabetes, obesity, or cardiovascular disease.
The SheLeads Ventures Programme is the University of Porto’s first initiative dedicated to promoting female leadership, with a strong focus on empowering women in entrepreneurship.
Congratulations!
More information can be found here.
LEPABE was granted new Ph.D scholarships in the FCT 2025 call
Posted on December 11th, 2025
LEPABE congratulates the 18 researchers that were granted individual PhD scholarships in the national FCT call:
- Ana Isabel Sousa
- Ana Sofia Pinto
- Arefeh Mazarei
- Débora Araújo
- Emílio Gomes
- Francisca Ferreira
- Inês Freitas
- Isabel Hilário
- Joana Oliveira
Congratulations to all!
- Joana Peixoto
- José Gonçalo Santos
- Maria Teresa Ribeiro
- Megan Braga
- Patrícia Serra
- Rita Duarte
- Sergio Sanchez
- Vânia Pinheiro
- Vânia Rocha
LEPABE was granted new exploratory projects in FCT 2024 call
Posted on December 9th, 2025
In the latest FCT call, LEPABE was awarded 6 Exploratory Research Projects.
This project call, focuses on original projects for younger researchers, and on ideas or concepts with a high degree of novelty that demonstrate disruptive potential, compared to previous work, developed by more experienced researchers.
- AquaBEV (Inês Bezerra Gomes)
- IQ–SCHOOLS (Klára Slezáková)
- LightSound4Bio (Ana Filipa Esteves)
- RenAM (Miguel Angel Soria)
- ValSeaFood (Berta Estevinho)
- WATER4REUSE (Carmen Rodrigues)
Congratulations!
LEPABE team awarded 1st prize in the BIP Acceleration Programme
Posted on November 21st, 2025
LEPABE researchers Inês Freitas, Rita Martins, and Adélio Mendes, from the Processes, Products and Energy group, has been awarded 1st place in the 4th edition of the Business Ignition Program (BIP) Acceleration, promoted by U.Porto Inovação.
Their project, EcoWires, introduces an innovative method for printing flexible electronic circuits using sustainable, safe, and cost-effective materials abundantly available in nature. This breakthrough promises not only to reduce production costs and save time, but also to significantly lower environmental impact.
The BIP Acceleration programme supports research teams from the University of Porto in testing and validating the business potential of their ideas, helping transform scientific innovation into market-ready solutions.
Congratulations!
More information can be found here.
PhD Thesis by Ana Cláudia Azevedo on recombinant proteins based on E. coli biofilms
December 3rd, 2025
LEPABE would like to congratulate Dr. Ana Cláudia Azevedo for her PhD thesis of the Doctoral Program in Chemical and Biological Engineering, entitled “The use of Escherichia coli biofilms for the production of recombinant proteins and other added-value compounds” supervised by Prof. Filipe Mergulhão, defended on December 3rd, 2025 FEUP.
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