Four women with a link to Técnico were nominated for this year’s edition of the ACTIVA Inspiring Women Awards. Zita Martins, professor at IST Department of Chemical Engineering (DEQ) and researcher at Centro de Química Estrutural (CQE), and Joana Lobo Antunes, Head of Communication, Image and Marketing (ACIM) at Instituto Superior Técnico, are nominated in the “Science” category. Two Técnico alumnae are also among the award nominees: Joana Rafael, co-founder of Sensei, is nominated in the “Business” category, and Catarina Barreiros, digital influencer and founder of “Do Zero” project, is nominated in the “Sustainability” category.
Joana Lobo Antunes shared she was surprised that she had been nominated and expressed her gratitude for the distinction “furthermore, in such good company of my colleague and friend Zita Martins, as well as the other award nominees”, she says.
Joana Lobo Antunes has a degree in Pharmaceutical Sciences and a PhD in Organic Chemistry. She is Head of Communication, Image and Marketing (ACIM) at Instituto Superior Técnico and she is a professor of Science Communication at Universidade Nova de Lisboa. She is the co-creator of Antena 1 radio programme “90 Segundos de Ciência” (“90 Seconds of Science”) and Founder of the Portuguese Science Communicators Network SciComPT.
According to Joana Lobo Antunes, “being nominated for this award as a science communicator gives relevance to people like me, who stopped pursuing a research career and started promoting scientific culture”. “Like many other people, I have been working for years in empowering scientists with communication skills, as well as creating opportunities for dialogue between the scientific community and non-specialists, thereby improving the public’s understanding of science”, explains Joana Lobo Antunes. “Our goal is to pass on the best scientific knowledge, so that the different target audiences, such as 5-year-old kids, seniors, higher education candidates or policy makers, can not only understand, but also share the beauty and fascination of Science”, she adds.
Zita Martins shares her honour and gratitude: “I am very happy, because this nomination is a recognition of my international work experience over two decades, particularly in the last four years, when I returned to Portugal to become an Associate Professor at Técnico. I am also very pleased that the vote of confidence that Técnico gave me to set up the first astrobiology laboratory in the country is being rewarded”.
The Técnico professor is also co-director of the MIT Portugal program. She was recently appointed by the European Space Agency as the leader of the scientific community of the Ariel space mission, scheduled for 2029. She is considered one of the world’s greatest experts on Astrobiology, and her research interests include the detection of signatures of extra-terrestrial life in space missions, and the potential contribution of meteorites and comets to the origin of life on Earth.
Two Técnico alumnae stand out in Technology and Sustainability
Catarina Barreiros received her Master’s degree in Architecture from Instituto Superior Técnico. She worked in the fashion and beauty industry until she found that sustainability issues were her passion and her life’s mission. A high-risk pregnancy and a documentary exploring the practices of the intensive food production have changed her life and she started to dedicate herself to the dissemination of environmental responsibility.
Today, Catarina Barreiros has more than 80,000 followers on Instagram. She created the “Do Zero” project with her husband João Barreiros, which includes a blog, an eco-friendly online store and a Podcast.
Joana Rafael co-founded Sensei with Nuno Moutinho, Paulo Carreira and Vasco Portugal. Paulo Carreira is a professor of Information Systems and Software Engineering at IST. Vasco Portugal and Joana Rafael are PhD researchers -MIT Portugal program.
Joana Rafael is also the Chief Operations Officer (COO) at Sensei. In 2021, Sensei won the “João Vasconcelos” Entrepreneur of the Year Award, established by Startup Lisboa. “I would like to thank the jury for submitting my name as a nominee in the “Business” category. I look forward to inspiring people with our work at Sensei, and to make my contribution to put Portugal at the forefront of the European and global retail”, says Joana Rafael.
The ACTIVA Inspiring Women Awards aim to recognise outstanding women in the fields of Arts, Science, Sports, Business, Solidarity and Sustainability. A Career Award will also be given during the ceremony.
The jury of this year’s edition is composed of Maria de Belém Roseira, Conceição Zagalo, Luís Marques Mendes, Mafalda Anjos and Natalina de Almeida. The winners of each category will be announced soon.
