NOVA, in partnership with EUTOPIA, a European alliance of universities of which we are a member, reaffirms its commitment to women’s leadership in science, valuing women’s contribution to research and thus inspiring new generations of girls to pursue scientific careers. This Tuesday, 11 September, we celebrate a special event: the International Day for Women and Girls in Science, established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 to promote gender equality in access to and participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
This year, we listened to the testimony of four NOVA scientists, namely Maria Helena Godinho, Cristina Brito, Joana Marques and Sofia Ferreira, who have advanced knowledge in areas such as sustainable materials, environmental history, global health and biotechnology.
Maria Helena Godinho, a researcher at NOVA FCT’s Materials Research Centre (CENIMAT), recently received an ERC grant totalling 2.3 million euros to work with natural polymers, mainly cellulose, to create biocompatible and renewable liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs). These are responsive materials that change shape, colour, adhesion or damping properties in response to external stimuli, with innovative applications in soft robotics, engineering and biomedicine.
Cristina Brito is a senior researcher at CHAM – Centre for Humanities and Associate Professor at NOVA FCSH. As an environmental historian, she studies humanity’s relationship with marine life, seeking to understand the interaction between different cultures and ecosystems over time.
Joana Marques, from IHMT NOVA’s Global Health and Tropical Medicine, is dedicated to researching innovative strategies to reduce the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases while minimising environmental impact. His work focuses on the development of what is known as BLOODless – a special diet for Anopheles mosquitoes (the species known to transmit diseases such as malaria) that delivers compounds that act in the gut where pathogens develop.
Also noteworthy is the work of Sofia Ferreira, a researcher at ITQB-NOVA, whose aim is to optimise “microbial cell factories” – an industrial biotechnology process that uses living organisms such as fungi and bacteria as biocatalysts – for the sustainable production of valuable compounds such as fuels, food supplements and medicines.
As well as being eminent scientists, they share the experience of being women in science – a journey that, despite its challenges, is proving to be fundamental in promoting diversity, innovation and inclusion in the academic and scientific environment.
“It is a life that seeks a balance between career and family, lived with passion and overcoming, and that finds its reward in collaborations, friendships and the impact achieved through research” (Helena Godinho); “As a woman and a scholar in the humanities, I believe that we can rescue the silenced voices of different groups, both past and present, and that we must involve multiple actors in the construction of historical narratives, memories, and environmental and emotional connections. So, we should also learn from other women and share their thoughts and different worldviews. (Cristina Brito).
But not only that. As Joana Marques says, “Science thrives on diversity, inclusion and a passion for discovering the unknown, and women are essential in driving this forward. We’ve come a long way, but there’s still more to do, because real progress means more women in leadership, more voices in innovation and a world where science knows no gender”. Sofia Ferreira associates being a woman in science with resilience, creativity and determination to make a difference: “I take great pride in pushing boundaries and inspiring girls – including my 4-year-old daughter – to see themselves as future scientists.”
