Sandra de Macedo Ribeiro elected as a member of the Academia Europaea
Researcher Sandra de Macedo Ribeiro was recently invited to join Academia Europaea, a non-governmental European scientific organization whose mission is to promote teaching and research, advise governments and international organizations on scientific issues, and promote interdisciplinary and international research.
With this nomination, which is reserved for academics and researchers whose contributions to research, teaching or academic activities stand out at an international level, Sandra de Macedo Ribeiro, leader of the Biomolecular Structure and Function group, is recognized for her renowned work in the areas of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
For the researcher, this appointment represents “international recognition” of the scientific research she carries out and her contribution to the teaching and communication of science. Furthermore, highlights Sandra de Macedo Ribeiro, “joining a network of scientists of recognized merit will facilitate access to new collaborations and more interdisciplinary projects, new opportunities for financing collaborative projects and even greater visibility and impact of my research results. group in the international academic community”.
At an institutional level, says Sandra de Macedo Ribeiro, “it will also result in increased visibility and impact of i3S. Academia Europaea has a crucial role in formulating research and education policies in Europe and having i3S researchers as members who directly participate in defining research and education strategies in Europe strengthens the presence and reputation of the institute at European level”.
About Sandra de Macedo Ribeiro
Sandra de Macedo Ribeiro graduated in Biochemistry from the University of Porto in 1992 and received her PhD in Chemistry from the Technical University of Munich in 1999, having developed her PhD project in Structural Biology at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry under the guidance of researcher Robert Huber. She followed with a post-doctorate at the Institute of Molecular Biology of Barcelona, in Miquel Coll's group, and at the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of the University of Porto (IBMC), in the group led by Ana Margarida Damas.
After a period as a Guest Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Algarve, Sandra de Macedo Ribeiro was hired as an Assistant Researcher in the area of Structural Biology at the Center for Neuroscience and Cellular Biology in Coimbra. She then began research in the area of Machado-Joseph disease and studying the impact of repeated amino acid on the structure, function, and aggregation of proteins. In 2008, she started her research group Biomolecular Structure and Function at IBMC, now part of the Institute for Research and Innovation in Health at the University of Porto (i3S), where she is a Principal Investigator.
Sandra de Macedo Ribeiro is a member of the scientific committee of the Doctoral Program in Molecular and Cellular Biology (ICBAS, University of Porto) and regularly collaborates with Master's and PhD programs at several universities, where she participates in disciplines focused on the study of the structure and function of proteins.
At an international level, Sandra de Macedo Ribeiro is part of the Scientific Board of the European Synchrotron Radiation Source (ESRF, France) and the Central European Research Infrastructure Consortium.
About Academia Europaea
Founded in September 1988 under the name European Academy of Sciences, Humanities and Letters, Academia Europaea aims to “advance and promote excellence in the studies of humanities, law, economic, social and political sciences, mathematics, medicine, and in all branches of natural and technological sciences in any part of the world for the public benefit and for the advancement of the education of the public of all ages in the aforesaid disciplines in Europe”.
Headquartered in London, the organization currently has more than 4,500 members, including renowned scientists, academics, and experts in the fields of physical and technological sciences, biological sciences and medicine, mathematics, literature and humanities, social and cognitive sciences, economics and law. Among them are 83 Nobel Prize laureates, several of whom were elected to the Academy before receiving the prize.
Among the 38 Portuguese people who make up this organization are several names with connections to the U.Porto. This is the case of teachers and researchers Alexandre Quintanilha, Amélia Apolónia, Heitor Alvelos, Mário Jorge Barroca, Teresa Lago, who are also joined by names such as scientists Elvira Fortunato, Carlos Fiolhais, among others.
In addition to organizing annual meetings, the Academy is also responsible for publishing the journal European Review through Cambridge University Press.