The Técnico professor (Department of Bioengineering – DBE) and iBB researcher, Isabel Sá Correia, won the FEMS Special Merit Award 2022 together with Dr. Elisabeth Bik, microbiologist and scientific integrity consultant.
“I am understandably very honoured to receive this Special Merit Award”, says the Técnico professor. “It gives me great satisfaction because I have collaborated very closely with FEMS for more than a decade, and I have full sympathy with FEMS goals”, she adds.
According to the announcement on FEMS website “Prof. Isabel Sa-Correia has been a central figure in the Portuguese Society of Microbiology (Sociedade Portuguesa de Microbiologia – SPM) for many years and enabled that organization to connect and support microbiologists across Portugal and beyond”. The Técnico professor shares: “During my presidency (2009-2020), SPM’s interaction with FEMS was expanded and consolidated”.
“She has also organized many international meetings over a long career, enabling microbiologists to meet, network and share research. These opportunities are vital for science to flourish”, the FEMS announcement says.
Her outstanding contributions as “FEMS Delegate”, “member of the FEMS Yeast Research editorial board” and the “architect” of the International Microorganism Day”, are also highlighted in the announcement.
The FEMS Special Merit Award was initiated in 2003 and aims to reward those who have made special contributions to further the objectives of FEMS.
Professor Isabel Sá Correia graduated in Chemical Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico, in 1975. After a postgraduation in Biological Engineering (Molecular Biology) by Universidade Nova de Lisboa/IGC- Instituto Gulbenkian Ciência (1980), she got a PhD degree defended at IST (Chemical Engineering, 1984). As Fulbright Visiting Assistant Professor, she carried out post-doctoral studies at the University of Illinois, Medical Center, Chicago (1985/86). The “Agregação/Habilitation” title was obtained in 1992 at IST.
She began her academic career in 1975 as an assistant professor at Técnico. She obtained her PhD and then became an associate professor. In less than 10 years (1995) she became full professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering (DEQ).
Professor Isabel Sá Correia founded and coordinates the Biological Sciences scientific area at Técnico. She is Board member and Head of the Biological Sciences Research Group of Institute for Bioengineering and Biosciences (iBB). She also coordinates the DBE’s Biological Sciences Research Group and the PhD programme in Biotechnology and Biosciences. She is member of the ULisboa General Council and Técnico School Assembly.
With current h indexes 49-WOS, 66-Google Scholar, professor Isabel Sá Correia integrates the lists of the most cited scientists´ worldwide (Stanford Univ, 2020, 2021). She co-authored over 300 peer-reviewed articles, 2 books, 2 conference abstracts, 26 book chapters and 2 patents.
The Técnico professor supervised 30 doctoral theses and 64 master’s dissertations.
She coordinated the molecular biology component of the open-access YEASTRACT/YEASTRACT+ database. She published several microbial genome sequences.
Professor Isabel Sá Correia was Vice president of the Portuguese Society of Biotechnology (1993-2003), of which she is an honorary member, and director of the Biotechnology Bulletin (1993-2011). She is a member of the editorial boards of Microbial Cell and OMICS: Journal Integrative Biology. From 1997 to 2006, she was member of the editorial board of the ASM journal – Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
She was awarded several times during her intense and fruitful career, namely: “Prémio Estímulo à Excelência” (2004), “Prémio Científico (Bioquímica) Universidade Técnica de Lisboa/Santander Totta” (2009). In 2015, she was elected a corresponding member of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences. In 2018, she was awarded the title of “Distinguished Professor of Instituto Superior Técnico”. At the end of 2021, professor Isabel Sá Correia received the Professor Nicolau Van Uden Prize, awarded by the Portuguese Society of Microbiology.
Created in 1974, FEMS connects a network of 56 Member Societies from 38 countries, including SPM. Its main goals are to benefit microbiology in Europe and across the world through research, networking, education and outreach; and to help its Member Societies serve the microbiology community. “FEMS is an active and multidisciplinary network representing 30,000 professionals committed to advancing microbiology for the benefit of society, in the areas of health, energy, food, materials and the environment”, highlights professor Isabel Sá Correia.
