31-07-2026
Gonçalo F. Carro Pedro and Inês Pereira Gomes, PhD students from the Department of Chemistry at NOVA School of Science and Technology | NOVA FCT, received two of the Best Shotgun Oral Presentation Awards at the 7th International Caparica Congress on Chromogenic and Emissive Materials (IC3EM 2026), held from 12 to 16 July in Costa de Caparica, Portugal.
The congress brought together 132 participants from more than 20 countries, showcasing the latest advances in chromogenic and emissive materials while providing an international platform for research carried out at NOVA FCT.
Inês Pereira Gomes, a graduate of the Master's in Bioorganic Chemistry and currently a PhD candidate in Chemistry at the Department of Chemistry, won 1st Prize for her presentation entitled "Dansyl-Thiourea Fluorescent Sensors: From Naked-Eye Cyanide Detection to Mercury Complexation". Developed in collaboration with the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the University of Jaén (Spain), the research focuses on fluorescent sensors for cyanide detection and mercury complexation, with applications in environmental monitoring.
Gonçalo F. Carro Pedro, a PhD student in the Chemistry Doctoral Programme at the Department of Chemistry, received the 3rd Prize (ex aequo) for his presentation "Selective Turn-On Fluorescence Sensing of Toxic Tl³⁺ by a Novel Dansyl-Ferrocene Probe". The work, part of his doctoral research, addresses the development of multifunctional fluorescent materials for the selective detection of thallium and results from a collaboration involving the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the University of Jaén and CNRS–University of Angers (France).
The congress also recognised Sara Meldoli, an ERASMUS student from the University of Bologna currently carrying out her Master's research at LAQV-REQUIMTE, NOVA FCT, with the Best Poster Presentation Award for the work "Multifunctional Naphthalimide-Based Chemosensors: Selective Anion and Mercury Detection Combined with Antibacterial Activity", developed in collaboration with Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski (Bulgaria).
The 2026 edition of IC3EM was supported by the BIOSCOPE research group, BRUKER, LaborSpirit, researchers from LAQV-REQUIMTE and NOVA FCT students. The awards received by the Department of Chemistry's PhD students highlight the excellence and international impact of the research carried out at NOVA FCT.
