CHAMPIONS
NOVA University is proud of its champions who, with talent, dedication and vision, excel internationally in research, innovation, entrepreneurship and sport.
At the Osaka Universal Exposition 2025, we will be honouring 36 researchers, teachers and students who have achieved recognition beyond borders, making a unique contribution to the advancement of knowledge and society. With scientific discoveries, technological start-ups with a global impact or medals in major competitions, these champions are ambassadors for the best that Portugal has to offer.
Find out below who the Champions are and which projects are taking NOVA University further and further.
MEET OUR CHAMPIONS
| NAME | |
 | PATRICIA SAMPAIO NOVA School of Social Sciences and Humanities European Judo Champion, bronze medallist at the 2024 Olympic Games. A determined and resilient student, an inspiration to all young people and a source of national pride. |
 | CRISTINA BRITO NOVA School of Social Sciences and Humanities He leads the 4-Oceans Project, with an ERC grant of €10M dedicated to exploring the historical relationship between humans and marine life, in a consortium with NOVA FCSH, Trinity College and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. Meet our champion here. |
 | ANTÓNIO GRANADO NOVA School of Social Sciences and Humanities Raised €2.7M for scholarships under the Journalism Science Alliance promoting fact-based investigative journalism. Supporting local and cross-border investigations, raising the quality of information based on science and a commitment to the truth. Find out more about the project here. |
 | CHRYSI RAPANTA NOVA School of Social Sciences and Humanities Elsevier top 2% cited researchers for years 2021, 2022 and 2023. Leading educational researcher, shaping minds, driving progress and advancing global knowledge. Meet our champion here. |
 | ELVIRA FORTUNATO NOVA School of Science and Technology Winner of more than 50 national and international awards, a global icon in science and innovation, with more than €78 M in funds raised, she was the inventor of the world's first paper transistor, shaping the future of sustainable electronics and science policy in Europe. Visit the project and our champion here. Visit CENIMAT and find out more about our champion. |
 | ANA RITA DUARTE NOVA School of Science and Technology Specialising in Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, with €4M funding (ERC) he leads the "des.solve" laboratory, dedicated to sustainable chemistry and natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) applied to biomedicine, food preservation and chemical engineering. Meet our champion. |
 | NEW LINCS NOVA School of Science and Technology These students were the winners of the $500,000 prize promoted by Amazon for the whole world: the Alexa TaskBot Challenge 2. The aim is to create conversational AI experiences that respond to the ever-changing needs of users while completing complex tasks. Get to know our champions and the project here. |
 | PAULA VIDEIRA NOVA School of Science and Technology With 6.5 million euros of funding in innovation in cancer, rare diseases and precision therapies, she is the co-founder of CellmAbs and Valvian Pharmaceuticals. |
 | FILIPE NATÁLIO NOVA School of Science and Technology Raising an ERC grant of €2.3M, he leads sustainable textile chemistry, combining biomimicry and synthetic chemistry to revolutionise dyeing, drive eco-industrial transformation and generate global impact with measurable economic and environmental gains. Meet our champion here. |
 | JOÃO GOES NOVA School of Science and Technology Especializado na Microeletrónica e Design de Circuitos Analógicos, tem mais de 200 publicações de topo (Tier-1) e cofundador, CTO e membro do conselho de administração da ACACIA SEMICONDUCTORS SA – RENESAS, Portugal-Japão. Meet our champion here. |
 | JÚLIA SEIXAS NOVA School of Science and Technology Specialising in Sustainable Energy Systems and Integrated Energy Modelling, she has become an influencer in Climate Policy. With more than 20 funded projects influencing national and international climate policies. |
 | TELMO SANTOS NOVA School of Science and Technology In the field of Mechanical Engineering, he has raised €5M in funding, has more than 140 international publications and 6 patents. His research is pioneering safer and smarter materials, with non-destructive testing and 3D manufacturing, where science meets industry to shape the future of engineering. Meet our champion here. |
 | MIGUEL FERREIRA NOVA School of Business and Economics Specialising in Corporate Finance, she is the leader of the first ERC Advanced Fellowship in Finance and Management. The FINANCEforALL project assesses the impact of financial literacy on the labour force in Portugal, combining rigorous data analysis with insights for public policy. |
 | ASSUNÇÃO CRISTAS NOVA School of LAW Coordinator of what is already the world's best Master's programme in Law and Economics of the Sea. A multidisciplinary course that explores innovation in the ocean, blue biotechnology and the laws that shape our common future. Find out more about this Master's programme here. |
 | SORAYA NOUR SCKELL NOVA School of LAW CEDIS is the top-rated legal research centre in Portugal, as evaluated by FCT, the government’s science and research agency. CEDIS contributed to shaping both the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (C. Bright) and the UN mechanism on Syria’s disappeared persons (J. Sarkin). Meet the project CEDIS - Law at the service of society. |
 | TIAGO OLIVEIRA NOVA Information Management School A specialist in Information Management, he is recognised among the 0.1% best researchers worldwide by Clarivate Analytics |
 | FERNANDO BAÇÃO NOVA Information Management School A specialist in Business Intelligence, he leads the world's best Master's programme in Business Intelligence and Strategy. |
 | LEONARDO VANNESCHI NOVA Information Management School Specialising in Machine Learning, Data Science, Complex Systems, and Evolutionary Computation, he is ranked among the top 0.5% researchers worldwide by ScholarGPS. "Our hopes for a better world - from beating cancer to restoring our ecosystems and much more - depend on AI that combines technological excellence with ethics, transparency and humanity." Meet our champion here. |
 | MIGUEL CASTRO NETO NOVA Information Management School Director of NOVA IMS, a school that has achieved 5 stars in all categories of the QS Stars ranking, "an achievement that places us among the best in the world". |
 | ROBERTO HENRIQUES NOVA Information Management School He specialises in Data Analysis and leads the best Master's Degree in Data Analysis in Western Europe. |
 | JOÃO CONDE NOVA Medical School Specialising in precision medicine, he has raised €1.5M through an ERC grant. He is a pioneer in cancer nanomedicine and precision oncology, developing innovative gene therapies and nanoplatforms, with a high global impact and more than 100 scientific publications. Meet our champion here. |
 | PEDRO PÓVOA NOVA Medical School He specialises in clinical research in intensive care, serious infections, sepsis and biomarkers. Meet our champion here. |
 | CONCEIÇÃO CALHAU NOVA Medical School Expert in Nutrition, Metabolism, Gut Microbiota, with around 5 million euros in funding from European projects, he focuses his research on the advancement of nutrition, metabolism and intestinal health, with more than 200 publications, driving innovation in clinical nutrition and public health at a global level. Meet our champion here. |
 | MIGUEL SEABRA NOVA Medical School Raised €13M in funding, has over 100 publications |
 | ANTÓNIO JACINTO NIMSB - NOVA Institute for Medical Systems Biology NIMSB research, focused on Systems Biology and Precision Medicine, in advanced molecular and cellular analysis. The aim is to improve understanding of human biology and disease. Meet the project NIMSB. |
 | SUSANA VIEGAS National School of Public Health She specialises in Environmental and Occupational Health and leads EU-funded projects: PARC and K-HealthinAir. Important advances have been made in research on chemical safety and climate health, influencing WHO policies and global public health. Meet our champion here. |
 | SÓNIA DIAS National School of Public Health Director of the National School of Public Health, she coordinates more than 60 national and international coordination projects. She leads innovative public health research, improving outcomes for marginalised communities through evidence-based interventions. Meet our champion here. |
 | MIGUEL VIVEIROS Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Specialising in Biomedical Sciences, he has raised more than €3M for R&D projects for early diagnosis of tuberculosis, mycobacterial diseases and new therapies for MDR/XDR-TB. He develops innovative diagnostics and treatments for multidrug-resistant infections, contributing to global health. Meet our champion here. |
 | ISABEL COUTO Institute of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Especialista em Microbiologia Médica, lidera 6 projetos de I&D, com mais de 116 peer reviews e participação em 11 livros, lidera investigação sobre resistência antimicrobiana, com foco na resistência mediada por efluxo e em ferramentas rápidas de diagnóstico molecular. Meet our champion here. |
 | CECÍLIA ARRAIANO ITQB - Chemical and Biological Technology Specialist in RNA Biology and Control of Gene Expression |
 | CLÁUDIO SOARES ITQB - Chemical and Biological Technology Pro-Rector of the University coordinates the European project EVA MOBS with €8M in funding. The Protein Modelling Laboratory works on the molecular modelling of proteins using computational biophysical methods. Examples of the work carried out include redox proteins, ABC transporters, viral membrane fusion proteins and enzyme engineering. Meet our champion here. |
 | PAULA ALVES ITQB - Chemical and Biological Technology It has raised €3M in funding for the future of vaccines and advanced therapies. It is globally recognised by the US National Academy of Engineering. Promotes cell culture technology to increase the production of biopharmaceuticals and gene therapies. Get to know our champion and ibet here. |
 | MARGARIDA OLIVEIRA ITQB - Chemical and Biological Technology With over 170 international publications, he has been shaping modern plant science in Portugal - advancing cork oak genomics, smarter crops, linking science, farmers and innovation to protect the food system. Meet our champion here. |
 | INÊS PEREIRA ITQB - Chemical and Biological Technology With more than 160 international publications, he explores the sustainable conversion of CO₂ using biological systems, revealing metabolic pathways in anaerobic microorganisms for health, the environment and biotechnological innovation. Meet our champion here. |
 | MARIANA PINHO ITQB - Chemical and Biological Technology It has raised more than €3M in ERC grants to tackle antibiotic resistance at its root. Research reveals how deadly bacteria grow, divide and survive, paving the way for next-generation therapies against the most threatening pathogens. Meet our champion here. |
 | FRANCISCO CARAMELO Director of NOVACairo, a project that represents a dynamic centre linking Portuguese excellence with Egypt's vibrant academic and cultural scene. It promotes innovation, research and collaboration between disciplines, driving regional and global impact. Get to know NOVACAIRO here. |
