In the conference hall of the Civil Engineering Building at Alameda Campus, the buzz of conversation and greetings filled the air as friends, family and colleagues gathered for the Academic Jubilee Ceremony of José Saldanha Matos, a Full Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, specialising in Hydraulics, Environment and Water Resources. The lecture, titled “Beyond Water”, was held on 14 May to celebrate the professor’s distinguished career.
José Saldanha Matos admitted to feeling “very small” in the face of the large crowd that gathered to celebrate his career. Starting with his happy childhood and adolescence, he shared stories and curious anecdotes. The Técnico professor also looked back on the projects and activities that had made him “a privileged man”. Throughout his career, he held various management positions, including Head of the Department of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Environment at Técnico, President of the European Water Association and President of the Portuguese Water Partnership. According to José Saldanha Matos, all his achievements stem from persistence. “Persistence is very important; to leave a mark, it takes time”. On his involvement in voluntary work, he shared: “I have gained far more than I have given. I needed a great deal of help, which I received, always as part of a group, making contributions, but never alone”, he declared, expressing his “gratitude” to those present.
With “mixed feelings”, Rogério Colaço, president of Técnico, stated that seeing “the room full of friends and family” was worth more than “any words”. Noting that José Saldanha Matos represents “the paradigm of the academic”, he highlighted his humanistic and ethical character. Thanking him for his service to the School and the country, he emphasised that this “memorable moment” did not signify “an end point”, but rather the “beginning of something new” that was starting there “symbolically”.
He knew how to “captivate and spark his students’ interest”
Luís Calado, a full professor at Técnico, highlighted a career “closely linked” to the water cycle. In a brief overview, he highlighted the career of José Saldanha Matos, who was born in 1956 in Lourenço Marques and began his career at Técnico in 1974, and the fact that he had trained hundreds of students and demonstrated his “leadership skills” in difficult times, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dídia Covas, also a full professor at Técnico, not only looked back on 40 years in academia but also shared “his multifaceted nature”, who “brings together life, knowledge and teaching within the same reality”. According to her, who was both his colleague and his student, José Saldanha Matos knew how to “captivate and spark his students’ interest”, and had the ability “to enrich his discourse using concrete examples” and “to reconcile strategic vision with practice”. She also highlighted that, beyond his professional life, the professor engaged in personal pursuits such as karate and aikido, which earned him the reputation of being “bold, adventurous and fearless”.
Helena Alegre, a professor at Técnico and director of the Department of Hydraulics and Environment (DHA) at the National Laboratory for Civil Engineering (LNEC), has “always” shared her “professional journey” with her “long-standing friend”, whom she considers to be “a very reliable person”. She highlighted his “great sense of public service” combined with “great pragmatism and common sense”, celebrating not only his achievements but also “the way” in which he brought them to fruition.
António Monteiro, a professor at the Department of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Environment and a friend for 42 years, was also present at the ceremony. He recalled moments they shared since the start of their careers, when they found “a space for frank conversation” in each other. He referred to his friend as someone who “listens, ponders, but always takes on the hardest tasks”, he said: “You carry with you a legacy in the making”.
The Rector of Universidade de Lisboa, Luís Ferreira, described the honouree as “a person who is passionate about his work and his students, and never got stuck in the past”. Considering him a “pioneer of Universidade de Lisboa”, he expressed gratitude, on behalf of the institution, to the “eminent” researcher, professor and engineer for his contributions, noting that he “could have been a diplomat” because of his “extraordinary calm” and “conciliatory” nature in critical situations. “We celebrate the joy of doing what one loves”, the Rector concluded.
