Speakers

Amir H. Hoveyda is the Vanderslice Millennium Professor of Chemistry at Boston College (since 1998) as well as the Director of Catalysis in Chemical Synthesis at the Institute for Supramolecular Science and Engineering at the University of Strasbourg (since 2019). He received his B. A. degree at Columbia, was a graduate student at Yale (Stuart Schreiber), and an American Cancer Society postdoctoral fellow at Harvard (David Evans).

His honors include an NIH MERIT Award (2005), the Yamada-Koga Prize (2010), the American Chemical Society Award for Creative Work in Organic Synthesis (2014), the Eni Prize for Hydrocarbon Research (2014), and the American Chemical Society H. C. Brown Award for Creative Research in Synthetic Methods (2020).

His scholarly interests are in the development of new catalysts and catalytic strategies and methods. Hoveyda’s program encompasses organometallic chemistry, detailed mechanistic investigations, development of catalytic click processes, complex molecule total synthesis, and programmable remodeling of complex molecules with an eye toward accelerating hit discovery for drug development. Hoveyda and Richard Schrock are the cofounders of XiMo.

Anna K. H. Hirsch is W3 (full) professor for Pharmaceutical Chemistry at Saarland University and head of the department for drug design and optimization at the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland (HIPS). She read Natural Sciences with a focus on Chemistry at the University of Cambridge and spent her third year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, doing a research project with Prof. Timothy Jamison. She carried out her Master’s research project in the group of Prof. Steven V. Ley at the University of Cambridge.

She received her Ph.D. from the ETH Zurich in 2008 in the group of Prof. François Diederich. Subsequently, she joined the group of Prof. Jean-Marie Lehn at the Institut de Science et d’Ingénierie Supramoléculaires (ISIS) in Strasbourg as an HFSP postdoctoral fellow, before taking up a position as assistant professor at the Stratingh Institute for Chemistry at the University of Groningen in 2010 where she was promoted to associate professor in 2015.

Her work focuses on anti-infective drug design by adopting rational approaches such as structure- and fragment-based drug design in combination with the protein-templated strategies dynamic combinatorial chemistry and kinetic target-guided synthesis.

Anna has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed papers and has received numerous awards such as the Gratama Science Prize in 2014, the SCT-Servier Prize for Medicinal Chemistry in 2015, the Innovation Prize for Medicinal Chemistry of the GdCh/DPhG in 2017, the EFMC Young Medicinal Chemist in Academia runner-up Prize in 2019, the RSC-BMCS Capps Green Zomaya Award for Medicinal or Computational Chemistry in 2024, and in 2025 the SCT Award for Drug Discovery Chemistry and the Grand Prix en Sciences Chimiques of the Institut Grand-Ducal, Luxembourg.

Gonçalo Bernardes is Professor of Chemical Biology at the University of Cambridge. He completed his D.Phil. at the University of Oxford in 2008, followed by postdoctoral research at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces and at ETH Zürich. He began his independent research career at the University of Cambridge in 2013 as a Royal Society University Research Fellow. He was appointed University Lecturer in 2018, promoted to Reader in 2019, and to Full Professor in 2022.

Professor Bernardes is the recipient of three European Research Council grants and has received numerous distinctions, including the 2024 Corday–Morgan Prize for Chemistry from the Royal Society of Chemistry. His research focuses on applying chemical principles to generate new biological insights and to develop targeted therapeutics. He has co-founded several companies based on technologies developed in his laboratory and is a Senior Fellow at Flagship Pioneering, the world’s largest global venture creation firm. He is a first-generation high-school and university graduate.

Mariola Tortosa obtained her PhD at the Organic Chemistry Institute (CSIC, Madrid, Spain) in 2005. Then, she moved to The Scripps Research Institute in Florida (USA) to work as a Postdoctoral Fellow with Prof. William R. Roush. In 2008 she returned to the Organic Chemistry Institute (Madrid, Spain) and in 2011 she started her independent career at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (UAM) as a Ramón y Cajal Fellow. In 2013 she received an ERC-Starting Grant awarded by the European Research Council to work on the project “Design and Applications of Unconventional Borylation Reactions”. More recently (2020), she was awarded with an ERC-Consolidator grant to work on the project “Selective pathways for carbon-nitrogen bond cleavage”. She has received several awards including the Young Investigator Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry of Spain (2014), the Young Spanish Investigator Eli Lilly Award (2014), and the Barluenga Medal (2021).

Biologically active compounds are a continuous inspiration for her research which is focused on the development of novel catalytic transformations to build molecular complexity in a sustainable way.

Prof. Dr. Tanja Weil joined the Max Planck Society in 2017 as a Director at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, where she heads the division Synthesis of Macromolecules. She studied chemistry from 1993 to 1998 at TU Braunschweig (Germany) and the University of Bordeaux I (France), and completed her PhD at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research under the supervision of K. Müllen. From 2002 to 2008, she held several senior leadership positions at Merz Pharmaceuticals GmbH (Frankfurt), ranging from Section Head of Medicinal Chemistry to Director of Chemical Research and Development. In 2008, she accepted an Associate Professorship at the National University of Singapore, and in 2010 she joined Ulm University as Director of the Institute of Organic Chemistry III / Macromolecular Chemistry. Prof. Weil has received scientific honors and competitive funding, including the Otto Hahn Medal of the Max Planck Society, the Karl Ziegler Award, and an ERC Synergy Grant. She serves as an Associate Editor of the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Her research focuses on the development of synthetic chemical systems that interact with and control cellular function.

Carlos Baleizão is an Associate Professor at the Department of Chemical Engineering of the Instituto Superior Técnico (University of Lisbon), coordinator of the "Master in Molecular Science and Engineering", and coordinator of the "Functional Materials Chemistry" thematic line of the Centro de Química Estrutural. He graduated in Applied Chemistry at the NOVA University of Lisbon in 1999 and obtained a PhD in Chemistry at the Technical University of Lisbon in 2004 (experimental part at UPV-Spain). Between 2004-2007 he was a postdoctoral fellow at CQFM-IN (Portugal) and at the Institute of Analytical Chemistry, Chemo- and Biosensors (University of Regensburg, Germany). His research interests settles down in the development of silica nanoparticles, functional polymeric vectors, dyes for sensing and imaging, and hybrid nanostructures for theranostic, energy and environmental remediation.

Filipa Marcelo is an Assistant Researcher at the Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit (UCIBIO) of the NOVA School of Science and Technology (NOVA FCT) and, since 2022, co-leads the BioNMR group at UCIBIO with its founder, Eurico J. Cabrita. She established an independent research line in Structural Glycochemistry in 2017, dedicated to understanding—at atomic resolution and from a chemical perspective—how the glycocode is generated by specific enzymes and translated by glycan‑binding proteins into a multitude of biological signals in physiological and pathological events.

Her team applies an integrative approach combining chemoenzymatic synthesis, molecular biology, molecular modelling, and advanced biophysical and structural methods, with a strong emphasis on high‑resolution NMR. She has contributed to elucidate key structural features governing mucin O‑glycosylation and to reveal how tumour‑associated mucin O‑glycans are recognized by lectins, antibodies, and enzymes. Building on these insights, her group pursues structure‑guided strategies for the rational design and synthesis of molecules aimed at developing robust glycan‑based therapeutics and diagnostic tools.

Ivo E. Sampaio-Dias is a Ph.D. Researcher at LAQV/REQUIMTE, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto. He obtained his Ph.D. in Sustainable Chemistry in 2018 through a joint doctoral program between the Universities of Porto, Aveiro, and Nova de Lisboa, in collaboration with the University of Santiago de Compostela. His doctoral research focused on the development of sustainable strategies for peptide synthesis and the development of peptide-based compounds targeting neurological disorders.

Following his Ph.D., he carried out postdoctoral research in Portugal and Spain, where he expanded his expertise towards the design and biological evaluation of vitamin D derivatives with potential antineoplastic activity. During this period, he secured a highly competitive CEEC research position, consolidating his independent research profile.

Since 2021, Sampaio-Dias has led several funded research projects as Principal Investigator, focusing on melanostatin-based therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases and the development of novel vitamin D receptor ligands for cancer therapy. His work has resulted in granted patents in Portugal and Spain, as well as international PCT applications. He has received 25 distinctions and awards, notably two BIP Proof Prizes, two IACOBUS Research Paper Awards, an IACOBUS Patent Award, and highlights from Synfacts and the American Peptide Society.

He currently serves as an Associate Editorial Board Member of Current Medicinal Chemistry and has held academic positions as an Invited Assistant and Adjunct Professor at the Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, and at the School of Health of the Polytechnic Institute of Porto. He has supervised more than 60 early-career researchers and students, including postdoctoral fellows and Ph.D. and M.Sc. students.

His research interests encompass the development of sustainable organic synthesis methodologies to accelerate chemical biology research programs. A key focus of his work is the translation of peptide-based therapeutics, fostering international collaborations with strong societal impact.

Dr. Maria João Matos completed her studies in medicinal chemistry in Portugal, Italy and Spain, under the supervision of Prof. Eugenio Uriarte, Prof. Gianni Podda and Prof. Fernanda Borges, before moving to the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom) as postdoctoral fellow in 2015, to work in chemical biology, in the group of Prof. Gonçalo Bernardes. Since 2023, Dr. Matos is Associate Professor of medicinal chemistry at the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain), leading an enthusiastic group of undergraduate and PhD students, and postdoctoral researchers, working on new tools for drug design, discovery and delivery, particularly in the fields of cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. She has authored more than 140 peer-reviewed publications in leading scientific journals and is the inventor of two patents related to small-molecule therapeutics for Parkinson’s disease and cardiovascular disorders.

Dr. Matos established her scientific career in fruitful national and international collaborations with both academic and industrial partners. She has received several fellowships and distinctions, including affiliation with Newnham College, University of Cambridge, from 2015 to 2018. In addition, she has served on multiple editorial boards and international scientific committees, including i.e. the ChemMedChem International Advisory Board and the International Scientific Committee for the EFMC Medicinal Chemistry 2026. She is also the USC Coordinator of the Paul Ehrlich MedChem Euro-PhD Network and a member of the Executive Committee of the Spanish Drug Discovery Network (SDDN), making active contributions to the fields of medicinal chemistry and chemical biology.

Finally, Dr. Matos is one of the researchers within the 2% of the most cited scientists in the world, according to the Stanford University ranking.

Miguel Machuqueiro is an Assistant Professor in Computational Biochemistry at the Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon (Ciências@ULisboa) and a member of the executive board of BioISI. He obtained his PhD in Bio-Organic Chemistry from the University of Bern (CH) in 2003. Subsequently, he shifted his focus to molecular modelling and simulation during his post-doctoral work at ITQB-UNL. Since 2009, he has led the Computational Biophysics Lab (https://mms.rd.ciencias.ulisboa.pt), securing multiple competitive research grants, publishing over 100 peer-reviewed articles (h-index 35, >4100 citations), and supervising a dynamic team of postdoctoral, PhD, and MSc researchers. His expertise spans biomolecular simulation, constant-pH MD, membrane biophysics, and electrostatics, and he manages a high-performance computational infrastructure shared across BioISI groups. He also maintains an active international research network, participating in multiple cross-border collaborations and initiatives that promote the internationalization of Portuguese science. In 2023 and 2025, he received the Ciências@ULisboa Scientific Merit Award in Chemical Sciences & Technologies. In 2025, he was awarded the UL/CGD Scientífic Award in Biology, Biologic Eng., Biochemistry, and Biotechnology.

João Tomé (JT) is a Full Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon. His current research focuses on the synthesis of porphyrins and phthalocyanines with tailored molecular properties for applications in photomedicine, photoinduced energy and electron transfer materials, optical (chemo)sensors, and (photo)catalysis. In support of this work, he has established a broad international research network. Over the years, he has successfully supervised or co-supervised 16 PhD students, 20 Master’s students, and several undergraduate researchers. He has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, receiving over 9,000 citations, and has contributed 7 book chapters and 3 issued patents. JT has delivered over 50 invited lectures and seminars at national and international scientific conferences and universities, and has participated as author or co- author in more than 60 additional oral communications and over 250 poster presentations.

In addition to his research and teaching activities, he has played an active role in the scientific community by organizing and co-organizing numerous conferences and symposia, evaluating grant proposals and fellowships for multiple funding agencies, and serving as an editorial board member and referee for several international journals.

Maria J. Moreno graduated in Biochemistry (University of Lisbon) and obtained a Ph.D. in Biochemistry (Nova University of Lisbon) in 2000, She is currently an Associate Professor at the Chemistry Department of the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Coimbra, and the coordinator of the Biological Chemistry group from the research unit CQC-IMS. Her main research interests are on Chemical Biophysics, mostly focused on the properties of biomembranes, their function as semi-permeable barriers that control the availability of drugs at their active sites, and development of strategies to optimize drug pharmacokinetics. She is co-author of nearly 100 publications in international peer-reviewed journals, with an h-index of 32 (GS), with research work funded by several projects including collaborations with industry. Teaching and student supervision is a major complementary activity, being involved in the supervision of 4 post-doctoral researchers, 10 Ph.D, nearly 30 Master, and over 40 Graduation students.

Maria M. M. Santos is Associate Professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Universidade de Lisboa (FFUL) and leader of the Medicinal Organic Chemistry group at iMed.ULisboa.

She obtained her Ph.D. in Organic Synthesis at Universidade Nova de Lisboa, developing new synthetic routes for indolocarbazole alkaloids. After postdoctoral research in Spain (Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Barcelona) working on asymmetric synthesis projects, she joined FFUL. There, she secured competitive positions under the Ciência 2007, Investigador FCT, and CEEC programs. Her contributions have been recognized with awards such as the Portuguese Chemical Society’s Young Organic Chemist Prize, international distinctions as a rising talent in medicinal chemistry, and leadership of several funded projects. Her current work focuses on medicinal chemistry, including the development of irreversible cysteine protease inhibitors, protein-protein interaction inhibitors, and stabilizers of wild-type and mutant p53. For detailed information, please take a look at her recent publications and the webpage of her research group!

Nuno R. Candeias graduated in Applied Chemistry from New University of Lisbon (2004) and received his Ph.D. in Chemistry from Technical University of Lisbon, under the supervision of Prof. Carlos A. M. Afonso (2008). After, he took a post-doc at Lisbon University (Portugal) and at the Scripps Research Institute (San Diego, USA). From 2012-2019 he was University Lecturer and independent researcher at Tampere University of Technology (Finland) where he was also Academy Research Fellow (2015-2020). In 2020 he moved to the University of Aveiro as an Assistant Professor. His research interests span multiple topics, from synthetic chemistry, green chemistry, medicinal chemistry and computational chemistry, targeting thee design and development of new catalytic reactions for the synthesis of small molecules, as well as the valorization of renewable feedstocks and waste material using photoredox catalytic methods.

Paula Margarida Vidigal Soares Teixeira Ferreira is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at the University of Minho and a senior researcher at the Centro de Química of the same institution. She received her MSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Coimbra in 1989 and her PhD in Chemistry from the University of Minho in 1996. Her current research focuses on supramolecular chemistry and the self-assembly of small peptides, particularly dehydropeptides, investigating how minimal peptide-based building blocks can spontaneously organize into structurally and functionally complex supramolecular architectures, including fibers, vesicles, and protocell-like systems. This work provides insights into biomimetic materials and the emergence of life-like behavior from simple chemical systems. She has authored more than 100 scientific publications in international peer-reviewed journals and has been involved in several competitively funded national and international research projects.

Rafael Gomes is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lisbon (FFUL). He underwent his PhD studies under the supervision of Prof Carlos Afonso (FFUL) where he studied the preparation of bioactive skeletons from lignocellulosic biomass. After his PhD he studied the total synthesis of natural products, namely cytotoxic alkaloid Agelastatin A, and conducted research in CBIOS on the discovery of cytotoxic scaffolds. After a short stay at the University of Cambridge in Gonçalo Bernardes' lab, studying the photochemical modification of proteins, he resumed his work in Lisbon to FFUL where his current research interests lie in the interface between Medicinal and Sustainable chemistry. His active research topics are the valorization of chitinous biomass, total synthesis of complex natural products, nature-inspired peptides and discovery of targeted therapeutics.

Tânia Morais is an Assistant Researcher at the Centro de Química Estrutural, Institute of Molecular Sciences of Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa. She holds a degree in Chemistry (2007) and a master’s in Chemistry, Health and Nutrition (2008) from the University of Lisbon, and completed her PhD in Inorganic Chemistry in 2013, developing ruthenium-based organometallic compounds for cancer therapy.

Following her PhD, she pursued postdoctoral research at the Instituto de Medicina Molecular, Faculty of Medicine, and at the Centro de Química Estrutural, Faculty of Sciences, focusing on peptide–metal conjugates for selective anticancer applications.

In 2014, she received the Portuguese Young Chemist Award from the Portuguese Chemical Society. In 2015, she joined the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park as a visiting researcher under a Marie Skłodowska-Curie project, where she specialized in peptide synthesis and bioconjugation strategies for targeted therapeutics.

In 2019, Tânia began her independent research within the CEEC Individual framework, focusing on smart metal–peptide conjugates for precision cancer therapy. In 2023, she was appointed Assistant Researcher under the 5th CEEC Individual call at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon.

Her work explores the interface of bioinorganic chemistry, peptide science, and nanotechnology to develop metal complexes, nanomaterials, and hybrid drugs, integrating them into advanced platforms for targeted and personalized cancer therapies.

Carlos Manuel Monteiro obtained his BSc in Chemistry from the University of Évora in 2007, where he worked under the supervision of Prof. Anthony J. Burke on ligand synthesis with a focus on homogeneous catalysis. He earned his PhD in 2013 from the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Lisbon, carrying out research with Profs. Carlos Afonso and Nuno Torres Lourenço on the application of biocatalysis to the kinetic resolution of secondary alcohols. From 2013 to 2018, he held a postdoctoral position at the same institution, continuing his work in biocatalysis and biomass valorisation. In 2018, he joined the agrochemical industry at ASCENZA as a specialist in the Synthesis and Screening laboratory, focusing on the synthesis, isolation, and identification of agrochemical impurities and metabolites. Since 2023, he has served as laboratory coordinator. He maintains strong links with academia through several collaborations with the University of Lisbon (FCUL and FFUL), NOVA University Lisbon, and the University of Aveiro.

ASCENZA is a Portuguese off-patent agrochemical company focused on the development and commercialization of crop protection solutions, combining chemical research with industrial and regulatory expertise to support sustainable agriculture.

Dr. Jessica Baiget is a synthetic and medicinal chemist with extensive experience across academia, global research organisations, and industry. She earned her master’s degree in Chemistry from the University of Barcelona (Spain) and completed her PhD in Medicinal Chemistry at the University of Strathclyde (UK), where she focused on the development of novel kinase inhibitors for the treatment of prostate cancer.

Following her doctoral work, Dr. Baiget undertook postdoctoral research on drug discovery programmes in oncology and kinase inhibition. She later served as a Visiting Investigator with GSK’s Tres Cantos Open Lab (Spain) and the University of Sydney (Australia), contributing to open source tuberculosis drug discovery initiatives.

Dr. Baiget subsequently transitioned to industry as a Synthetic Research Chemist in agrochemistry before returning to medicinal chemistry in 2017 to focus on central nervous system (CNS) drug discovery at Bial (Portugal).

Her medicinal chemistry work at Bial is focus in the discovery and development of new chemical entities for the treatment of CNS disorders.

João received his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry in 2009, specializing in carbohydrates, from both the University of Lisbon and Université Pierre et Marie Curie – Paris VI, under the supervision of Prof. Amélia P. Rauter and Prof. Pierre Sinaÿ. Following his Ph.D., he conducted postdoctoral research in molecular dynamics simulations at NOVA School of Science and Technology - Lisbon, focusing on CO2 solubility in ionic liquids and protein-ligand interactions.

In 2013, João joined Hovione as an Assistant Chemist in the process chemistry development department. Throughout his career, he has contributed to the optimization and development of several chemical processes, including their successful scale-up to pilot plants and production areas. More recently, he has been involved in internal research and digitalization initiatives focused on improving sustainability. Currently, he is a Senior Scientist II at Hovione.