10-07-2026
On the initiative of the family of Professor Ana Maria Lobo and the NOVA School of Science and Technology | NOVA FCT, the Professor Ana Maria Lobo Award has been established. The award will be granted annually to the student achieving the highest grade in the Biosynthesis of Natural Products course unit of the Department of Chemistry.
The creation of this award represents an important incentive for academic excellence and the education of outstanding future chemists, encouraging students to deepen their knowledge and develop their scientific potential. It also seeks to inspire new generations to pursue studies in a field of research with great significance for science and society, reinforcing NOVA FCT's commitment to high-quality education and the recognition of talent.
The award also acknowledges Professor Ana Maria Lobo's extraordinary scientific and academic contributions to the development of Natural Products Chemistry in Portugal, preserving her memory and honoring the legacy she left to the academic community.
Professor Ana Maria Lobo (1945–2024) was one of the most distinguished figures in Portuguese Organic Chemistry. She graduated in Chemistry from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon and earned her PhD from Imperial College London, where she also carried out postdoctoral research under the supervision of Sir Derek Barton, recipient of the 1969 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. She joined the newly created Universidade Nova de Lisboa in the early 1970s and became a Full Professor in 1979. Throughout her career, she served as President of the Scientific Council and Dean of NOVA FCT, made significant contributions to Organic Chemistry research, and trained several generations of researchers. In recognition of her achievements, she was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2014.
With the establishment of the Professor Ana Maria Lobo Award, NOVA FCT pays tribute to an outstanding professor and scientist while encouraging its students to pursue paths guided by scientific curiosity, dedication, and academic excellence.
