11-11-2025
Gonçalo Pedro Carro and Joana Galhano, PhD candidates in Chemistry at NOVA FCT, Igor Lourenço, Master’s student in Bioorganic Chemistry, and Beatriz Mendes, undergraduate student in Applied Chemistry — all researchers at LAQV-REQUIMTE, within the OMICS and Analytical Developments research line — were recognized with the awards for Best Shotgun Presentation and Best Shotgun and Regular Posters at the 6th International Caparica Congress on Pollutant Toxic Ions and Molecules (PTIM 2025), held from November 2 to 6 in Costa de Caparica.
Gonçalo Pedro Carro was awarded for his work “Protonation-Driven Fluorescent Sensing of Toxic Cyanide and Fluoride Ions Using Dansyl-Derived Probes”, developed in collaboration with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BAS). The study proposes an innovative approach based on fluorescent probes for the rapid detection of contaminants such as cyanide and fluoride in water and organic solvents, highlighting the interdisciplinary nature and environmental relevance of the research carried out within the scope of NOVA FCT’s PhD Program in Chemistry.
Joana Galhano, with the work “Development of Sustainable Starch-Based Colorimetric Sensors for Hg2+ Detection in Aqueous Environments”, Igor Lourenço, with the study “Multifunctional Bischromophoric Chemosensors for Toxic Ion Detection and Antibacterial Applications”, and Beatriz Mendes, with the project “Antibacterial Activity of Dye-Doped Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles: Synergistic Effects in Solid-Supported Devices”, received the Best Poster awards in the Shotgun and Regular categories.
These distinctions reflect the international recognition of the quality and impact of the research developed at NOVA FCT in collaboration with LAQV-REQUIMTE, highlighting the excellence of its training and the contribution of the Faculty’s students and researchers to the advancement of scientific and technological knowledge addressing major environmental and sustainability challenges.
