ORGANISING COMMITTEE
Ana Santos Carvalho
GeneT | CIBB
Biography
Ana Santos Carvalho, PharmD, PhD, is Chief Operating Officer and Director of Science Communication and Marketing at GeneT – Gene Therapy Centre of Excellence, part of CIBB – Centre for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology at the University of Coimbra. Former President of the SciComPt Network – the Portuguese Network for Science and Technology Communication (2023–2026) – and a board member of AMONET, the Portuguese Association of Women in Science. She has served on the organising committees of several national and international scientific events and has led numerous science communication initiatives in Coimbra, including European Researchers’ Night, SoapBox Science, PubhD, and the Three Minute Thesis Competition. She brings extensive experience in scientific project management, and human resources, including recruitment, and has complemented her scientific background with entrepreneurship training in health through EIT Health.
Catarina Seabra
iiiUC
Biography
Science Communication Researcher at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Research of the University of Coimbra (IIIUC) and Vice-President of SciComPt. Catarina combines a background in neuroscience with research and practice in science communication. Her interests include public engagement with science, citizen science, interdisciplinary collaboration, science communication in higher education, and science–society dialogue.
Clara Barata
FPCEUC | CEIS20
Biography
Clara Barata is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences of the University of Coimbra. She was the Science Manager for the Strategic Area “Heritage, Culture and Inclusive Society” at the University for five years prior to this position. She was principal investigator in the H2020 projects ISOTIS (Inclusive Education and Social Support to Tackle Inequalities in Society) and PROGRESS Playgroups for Inclusion at the University of Coimbra, as well as Marie Curie Individual Fellow at ISCTE-IUL. She was also an analyst for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Fernando Matos Oliveira
FLUC | CEIS20
Biography
Director of the PhD Programme in Art Studies at the University of Coimbra, where he teaches in the areas of Performance and Theatre Studies. His main areas of interest are Modern and Contemporary Theatre, and Performance Art. He has been Director of the Academic Theatre of the University of Coimbra since 2011 and Senior Researcher at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies.
Francisca Moreira
MARIONET
Biography
Photographer and production director at Marionet theatre company. Theatre Production teacher at Coimbra Education School – Polytechnic of Coimbra. Former producer at musical and cultural association Lugar Comum. With a degree in Communication and Multimedia Design and a specialisation in Marketing and Communication. Cat lover.
Mário Montenegro
MARIONET | CEIS20
Biography
Theatre director, actor, playwright, and researcher at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies of the University of Coimbra. He is the artistic director of Marionet, a theatre company focused on the intersections between theatre and the sciences, and he has written and directed plays about scientific subjects and coordinated several collaborative creation projects with researchers. His research interests relate to the interactions between the performing arts and science, including science dramaturgies, worldwide production of plays related to science, research-based theatre, theatre with researchers, theatre and health sciences, and the performing arts in science communication.
João Gaspar
Coimbra Chemistry Centre
Biography
João is a non-practicing biologist who performed research on forensic entomology before moving into scicomm. He used to be a science explainer at Pavilion of Knowledge (Lisbon, PT) and contributed to national and international scicomm projects (National Campaign for Suicide Prevention; RETHINK#Scicomm). He currently does Science Management and Communication at Coimbra Chemistry Centre (University of Coimbra) and serves as VP at the Portuguese Science and Technology Communication Network – SciComPT. Always looking for big stories in little things.
Sara Varela Amaral
CNC UC | CIBB
Biography
Head of Science Communication Office at CNC-UC/CiBB. Sara has been involved in several projects that aim to establish innovative strategies that promote the appropriate communication between scientists and different audiences, and to foster scientific education in the biomedical field. Her research interests are science communication strategies, impact evaluation methods, scientific culture and citizenship, public engagement in science, science education, fundraising and art and science initiatives.
Silvia Carballo
MARIONET
Biography
Executive producer at Marionet theatre company, where she manages its historical archive. Also works in executive production in the film industry and is a member of the editorial team of Stylo – Artistic Studies Magazine, of the Faculty of Humanities of the University of Coimbra. She holds a Master’s in Artistic Studies from the University of Coimbra and has a degree in the same area of study, as well as training in Cultural Management and Human Resources.