Background - Mário Barbosa graduated in Metallurgical Engineering at FEUP in 1972 and obtained his PhD at Leeds University (UK) in the same field in 1980.
Academic career - Until 2011 he was Full Professor at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP) and then he moved to Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS) of the same university, where he was Full Professor until 2020. Since 2021 he is an Emeritus Full Professor at ICBAS, where he serves as Vice-President of the Strategic Council for One Health initiatives, to foster a holist approach to human, animal and environmental health.
Research - His research brought him international recognition in the field of biomaterials, an area in which he developed pioneering work, namely through ground-breaking research and high-level international post-graduate training. Initially he explored the mechanisms of corrosion in metallic biomaterials and their interaction with the immune system. He then focused in cell-biomaterial interactions and on the role of inflammation in tissue regeneration, mediated by biomaterials. He has published 298 papers in international journals with peer reviewing (h-index 60; > 12 000 citations). His participation in research projects financially supported by a diversity of sources (e.g, European Commission, AO Foundation, FCT), has fostered collaborations with China, USA, Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland. Former postdocs and students have leading positions in research institutes, both in Portugal and abroad (e.g. China, USA, Brazil and Spain).
Foundation of research institutions - Mário Barbosa was one of the founding members of Instituto de Engenharia Biomédica (INEB, https://www.ineb.up.pt/) created in June 26, 1989. From 2000 to 2012 he was the Scientific Coordinator of the institute and its President in 2000-2006 and 2010-2012. From 2015 to December 2019, and following an application led by him, he was the Director of the Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde (i3S, https://www.i3s.up.pt/) of Porto University. I3S is the largest R&D research institute in Portugal, with >1300 investigators, 470 of them holding a PhD degree. INEB, together with IPATIMUP and IBMC, is one of the founding institutions of i3S.
Foundation of post-graduate courses - He was one of the founders and the first Director of the successful Integrated Master in Bioengineering (MIB), which is a partnership between the Faculty of Engineering (FEUP) and the Biomedical Sciences School (ICBAS) of the University of Porto. He has taken a leading role in launching post-doctoral programmes (e.g. the Doctoral Programme in Biomedical Engineering, in 1996, one of the first to operate in Portugal). He was also a founder and Director of the International Doctoral Programme on Molecular and Cellular Biotechnology Applied to Health Sciences (BiotechHealth) until 2020. BiotecHealth provides research training in bioengineering in top level institutions and involves a mandatory period of training abroad.
Awards and recognitions- Among several awards he received the George Winter Award of the European Society for Biomaterials (ESB), the ESB award for outstanding work of an established researcher (2001). He was also the recipient of the Klaas de Groot 2020 Award, the ESB award for scientists who have shown a distinct ability to provide excellent mentorship and guidance to young researchers, helping them to establish their own independent career. At the national level he recently received the Ciência Scientific Merit Award from the Ministry for Science and Technology (2021), the Vila do Conde Medal Award, from the city where he was born (2021) and the Porto Municipality Gold Medal (2022). Mário Barbosa is a Fellow of the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering (IUSBSE). In December 2020 he was elected Secretary of the IUSBSE.
Positions in national research agencies - Mário Barbosa has taken leading positions in the national agency for research (first JNICT and then FCT), namely as President of JNICT (1992 to 1994) and Chairman of the Engineering Sciences Scientific Council of FCT (2002 to 2005). He also served as advisor (pro-bono) in the cabinet of the Minister for Science and Technology, Mariano Gago.
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3568-7482
Web page: https://www.i3s.up.pt/personal-info.php?id=243&idg=32