Instituto Superior Técnico has, since 10 December, another effective member of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences. Luís Oliveira e Silva, a professor at Técnico and a researcher at the Institute for Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion (IPFN), is now a member of the Section of Physics. The professor considers this election ‘very special because of the Academy’s reputation and because it is a recognition of the full members and renowned scientists that make up the Academy’.
This distinction is seen as an ‘opportunity to contribute more intensely to an institution with such a rich history and heritage, where multiple sciences and knowledge intersect,’ he describes. ‘It’s an ideal institution for propagating and communicating the values of science, thinking about the future of science in Portugal, and contributing to the design of public policies based on scientific evidence,’ he adds.
Full members of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences are elected from among corresponding members with more than five years in the category, based on scientific merit and the work actually carried out as academics. Each section comprises seven full members, each of whom has a numbered seat in the Academy’s session room, and 14 corresponding members. Election to full membership is for life, as long as members continue to collaborate with the Academy in the tasks assigned to full members.
According to Luís Oliveira e Silva, who was recently honoured by the European Academy of Sciences, this strong presence of Técnico is recognition of a vibrant community that has also contributed to the Academy of Sciences since the beginning of the 20th century’. ‘I hope to match for all of Técnico’s current full members, but also for the Academy’s long tradition of full members affiliated with Técnico,’ he points out.
The researcher believes that ‘scientific academies play a fundamental role in all countries, firstly by recognising their members, but increasingly as spokespersons for the values of science and its role and importance in contemporary society’. ‘The Lisbon Academy of Sciences is also a great House of Science, which can help us to strengthen and combine the efforts of Universities, Scientific Societies and the Academy of Sciences in the defence of Science, its values and its importance to us all,’ he stresses.
The Lisbon Academy of Sciences is one of the oldest institutions in Portugal. Since 1779 it has maintained uninterrupted activities to promote, disseminate and share knowledge in the sciences and humanities.
In June 2024, five Técnico professors joined the Lisbon Academy of Sciences as corresponding members. Previously, in 2023, Hélder Rodrigues, Isabel Sá Correia and Mário Figueiredo also became full members. In the same year, the Academy elected André Martins, Ana Patrícia Gonçalves, Carlos Fernandes, Isabel Ribeiro and José Borbinha as corresponding members. In the previous year, 2022, João Pedro Conde, Carlos de Sousa Oliveira, António Reis, José Fonseca de Moura and Rui Silva Martins became full members, while Miguel Tribolet de Abreu, Vitor Cardoso, Yasser Omar, Maria Fátima Guedes Silva, José Santos-Victor and Mário Silveirinha joined the list of corresponding members. The full list is available on the Lisbon Academy of Sciences’ website.
