Science and Technology

Calouste Gulbenkian Prize granted to young researchers at Técnico

November 16th 2016updated on September 22nd 2022 at 15:08

Fábio Cruz, Victor Hariton and Vera Gomes received the Scientific Research Prize granted by Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in the fields of Earth and Space Science , Physics and Chemistry.

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation announced last week the winners of the 2016 edition of the Young Researchers Incentive Programme. Three of the eight distinguished researchers are from Instituto Superior Técnico: Fábio Cruz and Victor Hariton are members of Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear (IPFN) and Vera Gomes is member of Centro de Recursos Naturais e Ambiente (CERENA).

Fábio Cruz was awarded for his work and project “Multiscale Modeling of Pulsar Magnetospheres”. In this project, Fábio will model pulsar magnetospheres – one the most extreme and exotic environments in the Universe – using advanced numerical tools, capable of solving the self-consistent collective dynamics of the electron-positron (e-e+) plasmas surrounding these compact astronomical objects. Fábio Cruz is a PhD student within the Doctoral programme APPLAuSE at IPFN.

Victor Hariton presented his project titled “Fab-Laser – Femtosecond ablation of biological samples with shaped laser pulses”. The proposed work addresses the challenge of how to optimise the interaction between ultrashort laser pulses and solid targets, with particular application to tissues of biological interest. Victor Hariton completed recently his Master in Physics Engineering at Técnico.

Both students are members of the Group of Lasers and Plasmas (GoLP). Three other researchers were already distinguished by this programme in past editions.

Vera Gomes was awarded for her work titled “Aliança entre a Ciência e o Património Cultural construído em pedra: Otimização de tecnologias de limpeza de graffiti”. She is a Master student in Conservation and Restoration at FCT NOVA, under the guidance of professor Amélia Dionísio, who develops research in the field of Geochemistry, Geomicrobiology and Mineralogy, at CERENA.

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation established the Young Researchers Incentive Programme with the aim of stimulating the creativity and quality of scientific research among the younger generation. The Programme is intended for young researchers under the age of 26 who work in Portuguese institutions. The prize has a cash value of €12.500. The researcher will receive €2.500 and €10.000 will be granted to the hosting institution where the research is carried out.