20-05-2026
The Council of the European Society for the History of Science (ESHS) has awarded the prestigious Gustav Neuenschwander Prize 2026 to Ana Simões, Professor at NOVA FCT. The recognition extends, through her, to the collective "scientific persona" known as the APAs — an academic partnership that for decades has been renewing the history of science in Portugal and worldwide.
Maria Paula Diogo and Ana Carneiro, Professors at the Department of Applied Social Sciences (DCSA), are two of the three figures who make up the APAs. Together, the three researchers were instrumental in founding the Inter-University Centre for the History of Sciences and Technology (CIUHCT) and the international network Science and Technology in the European Periphery (STEP), placing Portugal on the global map of the discipline.
The prize — the ESHS's highest distinction — recognises the professor and researcher's career, which includes pioneering research on the emergence of quantum chemistry, the landmark work Neither Physics nor Chemistry (2011), and innovative historiographical approaches that challenge Eurocentric narratives centred on major scientific hubs.
The award ceremony will take place in Edinburgh, on 15 July 2026, as part of the ESHS/HSS Joint Meeting, where Ana Simões will also deliver a plenary lecture.
