PhD student wins Racquel Legeros award

Mariana Magalhães, a student in the Doctoral Program in Biomedical Engineering at FEUP and carrying out research in the “Bioengineered 3D Microenvironments” group, was awarded one of the two Racquel Legeros Awards, granted annually to two doctoral students in the area of biomaterials and regenerative medicine by the European Society for Biomaterials (ESB). The award, worth 1,500 euros, will allow the young researcher to develop part of her research project at the Regenerative Medicine Center Utrecht, in the Netherlands.

Mariana Magalhães' project, guided by i3S researcher Cristina Barrias and co-supervised by scientists Hernando A. del Portillo, from the University of Barcelona, and Riccardo Levato, from the University of Utrecht, focuses on the development of new matrices based on cell-responsive hydrogels and advanced vascularization strategies aiming to improve organ engineering and therapeutic regeneration.

In researcher Riccardo Levato’s laboratory, where she will do part of her work, Mariana Magalhães will have the opportunity to deepen her “knowledge in Volumetric Bioprinting, an innovative technology that is not available in Portugal”.

For the doctoral student, winning this award is “an honour and significant recognition” of her work and dedication in the area of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. “This award not only validates the efforts I made throughout my academic career, but also opens new doors for the future of my research», she emphasises. Furthermore, she adds, “it will facilitate my participation in innovative projects and expand my professional network”.

About the Racquel LeGeros Award

The Racquel LeGeros Prize is awarded annually to two doctoral students who wish to carry out part of their research in international academic laboratories or in companies dedicated to biomaterials and regenerative medicine, with the aim of deepening their knowledge on a specific topic and/or technology.