The Técnico alumnus Rui Pita Perdigão was elected corresponding member (section of Physics) of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences (ACL), one of the most prestigious and oldest national scientific institutions. The distinction awarded in December 2020 attests the scientific and pedagogical contributions, and scientific dissemination of professor Rui Pita Perdigão in this scientific field.
“I am very pleased and honoured to receive this recognition, from such a reputable academy, particularly as regards Physics”, says professor Rui Pita Perdigão. “As with the launch of my institute and other international distinctions, the most brilliant and open minds, in this case the honourable members of the Academy, have once again had the vision and insight to appreciate my work, inside and outside academia”, he adds.
According to ACL, “Rui Pita Perdigão is a scientist and a professor with a remarkable academic career, both at the scientific and teaching levels, pedagogical innovation and university management. (…) His scientific passion and commitment will now contribute (even more) to the reputable missions of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences”.
In 1995, professor Rui Pita Perdigão attended the Engineering Physics course at Técnico. During his academic life, he chaired the Physics Student Group at Instituto Superior Técnico (NFIST), he was the editor of Pulsar, he was involved in the organisation of several events such as “O Circo da Física”, Physics Week, and he played an active role in scientific dissemination. The Técnico alumnus stresses “the deep gratitude to Técnico, where it all started, with special emphasis on the fundamental foundations of Physics and Mathematics, as well as the companionship and fraternity among the Physics and Mathematics communities, which resulted in friendships for life”.
The scientific journey of the Técnico alumnus has been marked by the opening of new paths in the interdisciplinary physics of complex coevolutionary systems, which undergo fundamental advances in non-linear science in order to tackle the urgent societial and environmental challenges.
Professor Rui Pita Perdigão is Interuniversity Chair in Fluid Dynamical Systems, in Vienna, Austria – where he lives. He is also the executive and professorial chair of the Meteoceanics Institute for Complex System Science (MICSS) and director of the associated Doctoral School, he represents the CCIAM research group, from the Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (CE3C), Universidade de Lisboa. He is member of Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT-Lisbon), and an associate of the Institute of Social Sciences, Universidade de Lisboa.
At the same time, he coordinates large-scale international programmes as well as research networks, he authors articles in leading scientific journals such as Nature and Science. The Técnico alumnus is also part of the editorial board of international scientific journals such as Earth System Dynamics of the European Geosciences Union.
