01-10-2026
Photo: Patrícia Blázquez fotografia
More than 280 former students returned to the Caparica Campus to celebrate NOVA FCT Alumni Day. On the library lawn, different generations reunited with friends, professors and the places that shaped their university years. The day was filled with hugs, smiles and plenty of stories. From recent graduates to those who studied in the hangars and huts of the 1980s, the same feeling was echoed again and again: "Those were the best years of our lives" and "we took friends for life from here."
Fernando and Carla Fortes met at the Campus: he studied Physics (1988), she studied Geological Engineering (1999). "Getting married delayed my studies," admits Carla Fortes, now a Geographic Information Systems Analyst at LNEG. Both look back fondly on the "amazing time" they spent at NOVA FCT. "There was one class per year for each degree, so we all knew each other," recalls Fernando, now at Ford Motor Company in Systems & Telecomms and a Six Sigma Master Black Belt.
Two friends from the Cellular and Molecular Biology degree graduated more recently. "It's already been two years," says Beatriz Barradas, who, together with her classmate Diana Loures, came to the event to see friends and catch up. "NOVA FCT is more demanding, but it has a more relaxed atmosphere, and it has changed a lot in two years," they say.
Dora Caria, Head of Circular Economy Engineering at the Landbell Group, and Rita Mil-Homens, from the Health and Safety Department at JPMA, were walking around the campus with their group, reminiscing about their Environmental Engineering days, back in 1994 to 1999. "We went for a walk out of nostalgia. Those were good years and we still keep in touch with our classmates. This event was one more reason to get together," they say.
Cristina Rodrigues was one of the first students of Applied Chemistry (1981-82), part of the class that launched both the degree and the Caparica Campus, and spent the day sharing stories with friends. Now at the Directorate-General for Food and Veterinary Affairs, she previously worked at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which received the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize for its work in Syria. Of her time at NOVA FCT, she recalls: "We were the most cheerful group, and we had an enviable tan because we were always going to the beach." She adds: "Besides a husband, I took friends for life from here."
From the same degree, but a few years later (1991 to 1997), António Dinis, Head of External Affairs at Hovione, shares the feeling. "It was an extraordinary time, with a strong academic life and a great sense of camaraderie. I was one of the founders of GANK in '95, and I witnessed the opening of the Chemistry and Environment department building, which transformed the School. I felt we were living through something special," he recalls. "I met a lot of good people," he concludes.
"Welcome home." With these words, José Júlio Alferes, Dean of NOVA FCT and himself a Computer Engineering alumnus, opened the gathering. He recalled that the School many had known operated out of hangars and huts and now has 27 buildings across 32 hectares. Despite this growth, NOVA FCT retains "the spirit of camaraderie and connection to science," he stressed. He also pledged to strengthen ties with former students and to support them "in every way we can." "I want you to know that this is your second home."
Eurico Cabrita, Vice-Dean for Research and Innovation and also an alumnus (in his case, of Applied Chemistry), took attendees on a journey between the campus's past and future. He presented some of the projects that will shape NOVA FCT in the coming years, including the new Institute for a Sustainable Future, and called for a closer, ongoing relationship between the Faculty and its alumni.
The strategy for the Alumni Community involves creating new opportunities for engagement, from mentoring programmes and experience-sharing with current students to talent recruitment, collaboration on research and innovation projects, and executive education. "Come back, get involved and challenge us. This house has always been yours," he urged.
Adriana Saraiva, head of Corporate Relations, Alumni and Careers at NOVA FCT, said the goal of the Alumni Community is "to build bridges between those who were here, those who are here and those who will come," underlining the importance of this community to the School's whole ecosystem.
The event, centred on reunion, continued informally with a buffet dinner, music and a DJ. Among groups meeting again, conversations picked up years later and many stories to remember, Alumni Day went on until midnight.
Relive the best moments here (photos: Patrícia Blázquez fotografia).
