Inês Gonçalves is the new president of the Iberian Society of Biomechanics and Biomaterials
i3S researcher Inês Gonçalves was inaugurated as president of the Iberian Society for Biomechanics and Biomaterials (SIBB) during the XLVII SIBB Annual Conference, held in San Sebastián, Spain. The term of office will last two years.
For Inês Gonçalves, assuming the presidency of SIBB represents on a personal level, “an enormous honour and responsibility, resulting from many years dedicated to the field of biomaterials”. The researcher emphasises her special connection to the society, recalling that her first oral presentation at an international conference took place at the 2004 SIBB annual conference in Évora, while she was completing the first year of her PhD.
From a professional perspective, the presidency constitutes an opportunity to “contribute more directly to the advancement of research” and to the strengthening of “collaboration between Iberian communities”, consolidating a “commitment to science, innovation, and social impact”. Inês Gonçalves further highlights her motivation to support the next generation of researchers and physicians and to bolster the position of biomechanics and biomaterials on the international stage.
The new president intends to focus on strengthening SIBB’s institutional image by creating a new social media presence and modernising the website, as well as an internal restructuring of the board with the definition of new roles and objectives. Plans are also in place to intensify interactions with related scientific societies.
One of the main challenges, Inês Gonçalves explains, involves re-engaging the Portuguese community with an organization that is traditionally composed mostly of Spanish researchers, thereby promoting a truly Iberian dynamic. The next SIBB annual conference is scheduled to take place this year in Portugal.
About Inês Gonçalves
With a degree in Microbiology and a doctorate in Biomedial Engineering, Inês Gonçalves is a Principal Investigator and leader of the i3S group Advanced Graphene Biomaterials. She is the co-founder of the startup GOTECH Antimicrobial.
Her primary research and innovation interests focus on the development of biomaterials and medical devices for antimicrobial and cardiovascular applications, notably disinfection devices based on light-activated graphene, graphene-reinforced hydrogels for vascular prostheses, and smart vascular prostheses capable of generating energy from circulating blood.
Throughout her career, she has secured over six million euros in competitive funding from institutions such as the European Innovation Council, the Wellcome Trust, the “la Caixa” Foundation, and EIT. Between 2010 and 2021, she was a visiting professor at the University of Porto, specifically at FEUP and ICBAS.
She has authored over 50 international scientific publications, coordinated several national and international projects, organised more than 30 international scientific conferences, and presented her research at over 130 international events. In parallel, she has led various technology transfer projects, which resulted in the filing of six patent families, several of which have already been granted.
Key highlights of her career include obtaining nearly three million euros in funding from the EIC Pathfinder Challenge for the development of the Blood2Power project, a Wellcome Trust Innovation Award, funding from the “la Caixa” Foundation under the CaixaResearch Validate 2021, an award in the EIT Health RIS Innovation Call 2023, and participation in the HiTech One technology transfer programme by HiSeedTech.
Inês Gonçalves was honoured with the Dona Antónia Revelation Award and the L’Oréal Medal in 2014, and represented Portugal at the Young Scientist Forum of the European Society for Biomaterials between 2018 and 2021. She regularly participates in science outreach activities, having coordinated the "Porto de Crianças" initiative for over a decade, which provides primary school students with their first contact with science.
