She will be the first woman, as well as the first person from southern Europe, to chair the Academy, 16 years after its foundation, and will take up her duties on 1 January 2026. “It will be a challenge for three years. The Academy brings together high-quality researchers, and I will also give my best,” says Cecília, who currently heads the Gene Expression Control Laboratory at the António Xavier Institute of Chemical and Biological Technology at NOVA University Lisbon (ITQB NOVA) in Oeiras.
Over the years, she has received numerous distinctions highlighting the quality of her research: she is an elected member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO); she served on the Executive Committee of the European Federation of Biochemistry (FEBS) for eleven years, receiving the FEBS “Diplôme D´Honneur”; she is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology, having been the first in Portugal to receive this distinction; she was ambassador in Portugal for the American Society for Microbiology; she was President of the Portuguese Society of Genetics, and has been a corresponding member of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences since 2009, among others.
The European Academy of Microbiology brings together a select group of researchers within the European Federation of Microbiology Societies, with the aim of promoting and recognising excellence in microbiology across Europe. To join this Academy, a researcher must be nominated by one of the members and supported by four other members. After the nomination, an election process takes place to determine the final list of members to be admitted. Cecília Arraiano joined the European Academy of Microbiology in 2016. She was the second Portuguese member to join this prestigious group, and the first Portuguese woman to do so.
‘I am very pleased because this is an important step for Portugal, for our Academy of Sciences, for the Portuguese Society of Microbiology, for NOVA University Lisbon and, of course, for ITQB NOVA. It will be good for more international distinctions and leadership to come to Portugal,’ adds Cecília.
“The appointment of Dr Cecília Arraiano reflects international recognition of the high-quality work that has been carried out by Portuguese researchers, in this particular case by Cecília, and of the institutional effort to support these researchers despite the well-known difficulties in accessing funding,” adds João Crespo, Director of ITQB NOVA.