News

COVID-19 EVENTS FUNDED PROJECTS GENERAL INL PICKS INL STATEMENTS INNOVATION MOST POPULAR PEOPLE RESEARCH SCALE EXPERIENCES SCALE TRAVELS SEMICONDUCTORS SINFONIA PROJECT SPOTLIGHT WOMEN IN SCIENCE WOMEN IN STEM
INL researchers recognised among top 2% of scientists worldwide

INL researchers recognised among top 2% of scientists worldwide

INL researchers have received prestigious recognition by Stanford University, placing them among the top 2% of scientists globally. On the 16th September 2024, Stanford University published its latest global list of highly acclaimed scientists from various fields. The university maintains an accessible database featuring scientists with significant academic impact, providing standardised details on citations, h-index, co-authorship-adjusted hm-index, citations by authorship position, and a composite indicator (c-score). This data is made available separately to assess both career-long impact and the achievements of the year 2023. Remarkably, the following INL members have earned a place on the ‘World Ranking Top 2% Scientists’ list for 2023: Bruno Romeira, Joaquín Fernández-Rossier, Miguel A. Cerqueira, Nuno Peres, Paulo Ferreira, Sanna Sillankorva, Victor Souza, and Zhongchang Wang. Additionally, Joaquín Fernández-Rossier, Francis Leonard Deepak, Miguel A. Cerqueira, Nuno Peres, Paulo Ferreira, Sascha Sadewasser, and Zhongchang Wang, were recognised in the career-long analysis of the ‘World Ranking Top 2% Scientists’ list. Congratulations to INL researchers for their remarkable achievement! For the complete list, you can visit the following link.

Read more
Espiña and Kolen’ko Groups at XI NyNA 2024 in Santiago de Compostela

Espiña and Kolen’ko Groups at XI NyNA 2024 in Santiago de Compostela

From September 3 to 6, 2024, members of the Espiña (Water Quality) and Kolen’ko (Nanochemistry) groups from INL (International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory) participated in the XI International Congress on Analytical Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (NyNA 2024), held in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. The event brought together experts in analytical chemistry and nanotechnology to exchange cutting-edge developments and research under key topics such as Nano(bio)sensors, Nanomaterials for sample preparation, Analytical Nanometrology, and Detection, characterization, and quantification of nanomaterials. The INL researchers made a significant impact, presenting one plenary talk, two oral presentations, and one poster, demonstrating their leading role in these fields. Begoña Espiña from the Water Quality group delivered the Plenary Lecture (PL5) entitled “Nanotechnology-based sensors and materials for water contaminants monitoring,” discussing innovative approaches to the detection of harmful substances in water using nanotechnology. The talk highlighted advanced solutions for water quality management, showcasing the increasing importance of nanosensors in environmental monitoring. Javier Terán and Carlos Gonçalves contributed with oral presentations, further elaborating on analytical methods and strategies involving nanomaterials, while Joana Araújo presented a poster detailing recent research advancements. NyNA 2024 focused on fostering the growth of analytical chemistry concepts applied to nanoscience, with discussions spanning across nanotechnological applications and miniaturized nanosystems. With their substantial contributions, the Espiña and Kolen’ko groups continue to pave the way for innovation in the realms of water quality and nanochemistry. […]

Read more
INL welcomes the new Deputy Director-General

INL welcomes the new Deputy Director-General

Professor Doctor Ado Jório de Vasconcelos appointed to be the new Deputy Director-General of INL The Council of the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL) has announced the appointment of Prof. Dr. Ado Jório de Vasconcelos as Deputy Director-General of INL, effective from the 2nd of September 2024. He will join the Director-General of INL, Prof. Dr. Clivia M. Sotomayor Torres, to provide strategic direction and leadership. Together, they will bring INL into a new phase that is fit for the challenges faced by research organisations in a rapidly changing world that requires bespoke science excellence and innovation as expressions of social engagement. As Deputy Director-General, Prof. Dr. Jório de Vasconcelos will be responsible for driving innovation, fostering the institute’s mission of advancing nanotechnology research and innovation and promoting the organisation’s global impact on society. Professor Dr. Ado Jório de Vasconcelos has a distinguished career as internationally acclaimed researcher, university teacher and administrator, innovator, and policy maker. He brings a particular international dimension based on his career path in the Americas. The INL community looks forward to his arrival and to working with him. INL Directorate Office

Read more
Filipa Lebre: Exploring the Frontier of Nanosafety

Filipa Lebre: Exploring the Frontier of Nanosafety

Filipa Lebre is a Research Fellow in the Nanosafety Research Group at INL, and her research focuses on the complex interactions among the immunological system and different organs, using novel technologies and in-house developed systems. Filipa has a background in Pharmaceutical Sciences and holds a PhD in Pharmaceutical Technology from the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Coimbra, focused on the development and optimization of a polymeric nasal vaccine against hepatitis B to be used for mass immunization. She moved to Ireland during her postdoc to conduct her research at the interface between biomaterial and immunology, studying key aspects of immunomodulation by a relevant spectrum of materials with applicability in the regenerative medicine field. Could you share with us your professional trajectory and what inspired you to embark on a career in nanosafety? I’m very curious by nature and always had this passion and interest in science. When I did my degree in Pharmaceutical Science, I was fortunate enough to find a teacher who was working in the vaccine field and made me realize how I could use my passion to impact millions of lives. That was when I started to work with nanoformulations. I obtained my PhD in formulation development, […]

Read more
André Araújo, an Electronics Engineer among Physicists

André Araújo, an Electronics Engineer among Physicists

André is a Research Engineer working in the Spintronics Research group at INL, and his focus is to provide technical hands-on expertise on advanced embedded systems and techniques, delivering solutions to interface sensors developed by the group. André holds an MSc in Electrical and Electronical Engineering from Universidade do Minho, specialising in embedded systems and technology systems and information. What are you currently focusing on in your work? Spintronics is a research group that has at its core the creation and fabrication of nanodevices, these devices comprise magneto-resistive sensors, oscillators, memristors and so on. Besides these research lines, there was always the need and interest to take this technology to the real world, testing it in a wide range of fields, and having industrial applications as the major target. Within this context, the group developed internally a hardware solution to acquire data from magneto-resistive sensors and software to accompany it, to serve as a data logger, a real-time data visualizer and an interpreter of data, both in time and frequency domains. The data can be analyzed, processed with filters and can be fed to AI algorithms to detect events and patterns which are relevant to the end user.  The need to […]

Read more
Natalia Spera, developing self-healing materials to enhance corrosion protection capabilities

Natalia Spera, developing self-healing materials to enhance corrosion protection capabilities

Natalia joined INL – International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory as a Research Engineer in the Nanochemistry Research Group. She is currently working on synthesising, characterising, and applying sustainable coatings with self-healing solutions.  Can you give us an update on what you’re currently working on? I am currently working on the development of self-healing materials to enhance corrosion protection capabilities and extend the longevity of offshore structures within the MAREWIND Project. My responsibilities encompass researching and developing core-shell nanofibers and microcapsules feasible for application in liquid coating formulations. Our solution entails having an autonomous healing response when the coating is damaged. Recently, we achieved a significant milestone by successfully scaling up our innovative self-healing materials for application in a 100-litre batch, marking a crucial step forward in transitioning laboratory technology to industry. Could you briefly describe what a typical day looks like for you, Natalia, and what aspects of your work and the INL organization excite you the most? Certainly! A typical day for me involves a dynamic mix of laboratory experiments, data analysis, and collaboration with colleagues. I usually begin with hands-on lab activities that occupy a significant portion of my day. Subsequent data analysis is also an exhilarating aspect, as […]

Read more
João Braga, working on the valorisation of mining by-products and used batteries

João Braga, working on the valorisation of mining by-products and used batteries

Meet João Braga. He joined the Nanochemistry research group at INL – International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory as a Research Engineer in January 2024 and is currently working on the Electrochemical investigation and valorization of lithium hydroxide and carbonate from mining. He holds a B.Sc. degree (2016) in Bioengineering from Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro and an M.Sc. degree (2020) in Biomedical Engineering from the same university. Could you provide some insights into your background and primary focus in your field of work? I have a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering and a master’s degree in biomedical engineering oriented towards biomaterials. My master’s thesis consisted of using electrochemical techniques to implement room-temperature prepared gold nanoparticles as enhancing agents in an aptasensor. These particles showed a very promising behaviour in oxygen a hydrogen peroxide reduction, which could be an added value to optimize mining techniques. I joined the INL Nanochemistry group aiming towards the valorisation of mining by-products and used batteries through the recovery of metals such as lithium, cobalt and nickel, which have been gaining market value due to the growing battery industry, to effectively reintroduce these materials in the chain of value and thus minimize the environmental footprint of their […]

Read more
INL hosts the 3-Minute Thesis competition, showcasing Doctoral Research talent

INL hosts the 3-Minute Thesis competition, showcasing Doctoral Research talent

Last week, INL organised its highly anticipated Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, providing an exciting showcase of doctoral research excellence. The 3MT is an initiative that celebrates the exciting research conducted by INL PhD candidates. The 3MT aims to develop early stage researchers’ presentation and research communication skills. It provides support for PhD candidates to effectively explain their research and its significance in just three minutes, using language suitable for a non-specialist audience. Embracing the challenge of condensing months/years of rigorous study into a mere three minutes, 24 PhD candidates from diverse research areas at INL stepped up to the INL auditorium, aiming to captivate the audience of 100+ attendees. The three rounds were held on March 26th, 27th, and 28th. After intense deliberation, the top five candidates were nominated, with their presentations showcasing both academic rigor and compelling storytelling. Alexandra Alves, PhD candidate in the Quantum and Linear-Optical Computation group, highlighted the significance of accessible science communication, stating, “As PhD students we often present our work to expert audiences, but more approachable science communication is lacking. So it was both challenging and fun to try to condense my research topic into 3 minutes and for a diverse crowd.” For […]

Read more
Sadaf Almas, effective audit facilitation and continuous improvement initiatives

Sadaf Almas, effective audit facilitation and continuous improvement initiatives

We aim to shine a spotlight on the exceptional achievements of women at INL spanning different fields and career stages. Join us as we honour their accomplishments, share their stories, and ignite inspiration for the upcoming generation of female scientists. Meet Sadaf Almas. She works as a Quality systems Assistant in the Quality and Coordination unit at INL and she coordinates and inspects the core departments at INL to ensure the quality management systems consistency in terms of quality, validity, and reliability with study bases, facility-based and process-based approaches. Can you give us an update on what you’re currently working on? In my role within the Quality department, I play a crucial role in ensuring adherence to Good Laboratory Practice (GLP) standards, particularly in the context of Nanosafety laboratories. My primary responsibility revolves around facilitating GLP audits, employing principles established by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). First and foremost, I work closely with Nanosafety to develop comprehensive audit schedules aligned with OECD guidelines. This involves collaborating with INLers to ensure that all pertinent aspects of GLP are covered, from facility infrastructure to standard operating procedures (SOPs) and data management protocols. Before conducting audits, I review existing documentation […]

Read more
1 2 3 4 5 6 … 25

INL in the Media

All Clippings

Press Inquiries

Press Corner

If you are interested to learn more about INL, share our news, or visit our Communication team, please contact us!