The appointment of the 41 new Secretaries of State of Portugal’s 24th constitutional government and their acceptance by the President of the Republic on April 4th, completed the list of members who are committed to lead the destiny of our country for the next four years.
Maria da Graça Carvalho, a full professor at Instituto Superior Técnico, who was already presented earlier this week as the new Minister for Environment and Energy, is joined by three new members affiliated with Técnico: Ana Paiva as the Secretary of State for Science (Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation); Alberto Silva as the Secretary of State for Modernisation and Digitalisation (Ministry of Youth and Modernisation), and Maria João Pereira as the Secretary of State for Energy (Ministry for Environment and Energy).
Also on the list is alumnus Miguel Pinto Luz, who has a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Técnico (Universidade de Lisboa), and was appointed Minister for Infrastructure and Housing.
Biographical notes:
Maria da Graça Carvalho
The new Minister for Environment and Energy switches directly from the European Parliament, where she served as a Member of the European Parliament, to the government. She has a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, and a PhD from Imperial College London. She is a full professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
From 2003 to 2005, she was a member of the Portuguese government, serving as Minister for Science and Higher Education (2003-2004) and later as Minister for Science, Innovation and Higher Education (2004-2005).
Ana Paiva
The new Secretary of State for Science, Ana Paiva, is a full professor at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and a current researcher. She has founded and coordinated the Group of AI for People and Society (GAIPS) at Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores, Investigação e Desenvolvimento (INESC-ID) for over 20 years. She has a PhD in Artificial Intelligence and a master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Alberto Silva
Alberto Silva, a full professor at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, was appointed Secretary of State for Modernisation and Digitalisation. He has a PhD in Computer Science and Engineering, a master’s degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering and a degree in Informatics Engineering. His research focuses on various areas, including Information Systems at Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores, Investigação e Desenvolvimento (INESC-ID).
Maria João Pereira
The new Secretary of State for Energy joins the team led by Maria Graça Carvalho at the Ministry for Environment and Energy. Maria João Pereira is Head of the Department of Mineral and Energy Resources Engineering (DER) and a researcher at Centro de Recursos Naturais e Ambiente (CERENA), which she also chaired. She is a full professor at DER and has a PhD in Mining Engineering with a habilitation degree in Geo-Resources. She has a master’s degree in Mineralurgy and Mine Planning and a degree in Mining Engineering from Técnico.
