Célia Manaia, researcher from the Center for Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry (CBQF) of the Escola Superior de Biotecnologia, is one of the 12 researchers of Portuguese institutions most cited in the world, according to the list "Highly Cited Researchers 2020", presented by the American company Clarivate Analytics. For Célia Manaia this "is a recognition of the work done, of seeking to meet the most central issues in the area in which we investigate and the work carried out with other institutions."

Graduated in Biochemistry and with a Ph.D. in Microbiology, both from the University of Coimbra (Portugal), Célia Manaia is a faculty member at Escola Superior de Biotecnologia and researcher at the Center of Biotechnology and Fine Chemistry of Universidade Católica Portuguesa. Over her more than 25 years as a researcher, she has been studying bacterial diversity and ecology, in particular in areas related with the human action. In recent years, Célia Manaia has also been studying the environmental dispersion of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Highly Cited Researchers 2020 distinguishes 6167 researchers from around the world

The "Highly Cited Researchers 2020" list spans the last decade, and this year distinguished 6,167 researchers from more than 60 countries: 3,896 were distinguished for their performance in 21 areas, and 2,493 for their cross-sectional performance. This list focuses only on the most cited articles, which represent 1% of what is published in the world.

The countries most represented in this year's ranking are the United States of America, China, the United Kingdom and Germany. The list also includes 26 Nobel Prizes and Harvard University again leads the number of scientists. The list also includes 26 Nobel Prizes and Harvard University in the USA again leads the number of scientists. The full list can be found here.

Happy with the distinction, which is the recognition of the research work carried out, Célia Manaia feels that "metrics in science should be viewed with caution and we should not let everything turn into numbers and rankings." To the younger researchers, Célia Manaia gives some advice: "always work very seriously, with true intellectual honesty, and, very importantly, communicate well – with accuracy, clarity and transparency".

In the scope of the project "Broadcasting to the Soviet Satellite Countries during the Cold War”, led by Professor Nelson Ribeiro, Dean of the Faculty of Human Sciences, was awarded a research fellowship at the Hoover Institution Library & Archives at Stanford University, in the USA.

Sandra Martins Pereira, FCT Principal Researcher at the Research Centre in Management and Economics, Católica Porto Business School, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, actively participated in the 12th World Research Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care that took place between May 18 and May 20, 2022.

During this congress, the researcher led the following activities:

• Oral Communication entitled: “Triggers for palliative care referral in burn intensive care units: Results from a qualitative interview study based on professionals’ clinical experience and knowledge”, in co-authorship with André Filipe Ribeiro (Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto - FMUP) and Pablo Hernández-Marrero (Associação de Enfermagem em Cuidados Continuados e Paliativos - AECCP).

And also in the communications entitled::

• “What does “Assisted Dying” mean for professionals providing end-of-life care? Results from a nationwide qualitative study”, in co-authorship with Pablo Hernández-Marrero (AECCP).
• “Dying with dignity: Conceptual and practical similarities and differences among professionals providing end-of-life care”, in co-authorship with André Filipe Ribeiro (FMUP), Emília Fradique (Centro Hospitalar Universitário de Lisboa Norte, Hospital de Santa Maria) and Pablo Hernández-Marrero (AECCP).
• “Integration of palliative care and psychiatry: Ethico-clinical and organisational challenges based on professionals’ views”, in co-authorship with Pablo Hernández-Marrero (AECCP).

Additionally, the researcher chaired a Plenary Session about “Paediatric Palliative Care Plenary” and a Themed Session on “Symptom Management”.  

At the end of the congress, there was a handover between Camilla Zimmermann, Rose Family Chair in Palliative Medicine and Supportive Care at the University of Toronto and co-chair of the Scientific Committee of this congress, and Sandra Martins Pereira as co-chair of the Scientific Committee of the 18th World Congress of the European Association for Palliative Care, which will take place in Rotterdam, from June 15 to 17, 2023.

Researchers of the project “Ativity & Safety” developed in the context of the Nursing Research Plataform Lisboa of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Health, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, participated in the International Congress "Managing the risk of falling in the elderly - Perspectives and Trends", which took place on 26 and 27 May, in Lisbon.

The professor from the Institute of Health Sciences, Lisboa, Cristina Marques Vieira intervened with a communication entitled "The fear of falling in the elderly person".  Also Sandra Risso, doctoral nursing student, presented the free communication "The Fall of Women in Obstetric Situation: Preliminary Results of a Scoping Review". Both integrated the Scientific Committee of the event, which gathered more than 200 participants.

The International Journal of Communication published a special section dedicated to the theme "Media and Uncertainty", co-edited by Nelson Ribeiro, Professor and Dean of the Faculty of Human Sciences(FCH) at UCP and Barbie Zelizer.

This issue aims to discuss the uncertainty faced by media and journalism professionals, as well as the contexts in which they carry out their activity.

It is a set of articles presented in the 2nd edition of the Lisbon Winter School for the Study of Communication, organized by the Research Centre for Communication and Culture and the PhD Programme in Communication Studies at FCH in partnership with the Annenberg School of Communication da University of Pennsylvania, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the London School of Economics and Political Science and the University of Helsinki. 

Click here to read the introduction of this special section.

The Católica Doctoral School, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, organises the Annual Seminar of the Research Network Contemporary Humanism 2022 - Integral Human Development Summer School - from 5 to 9 September in Lisbon, under the title "Integral Human Development" (IHD).

In line with this focus on IHD, the 2022 annual seminar of the International PhD Program & Research Network Contemporary Humanism in cooperation with the Postdoc-Fellowship Program in Integral Human Development at UCP seeks to discuss issues concerning the three main areas of concern in IHD: Faith and Integral Development, Fringes of Humanity and Care of Creation.

The seminar will allow to enrich the research frameworks and insights around the multiple dimensions that constitute integral human development by challenging society’s preconceptions of development, poverty and inequality and debating knowledge on concepts, notions and realities of the world we live in. On the assumption that “authentic development is the development that makes every person ‘more human’ and seeks to promote the good of the whole person and of every person”, the seminar seeks to understand what a New and Contemporary Humanism might mean and how it could help to transform 21st century’s culture and society.

Keynote Speakers:

• Andrew McKenzie-McHarg (Australian Catholic University): “Modes of Understanding the Margins”
• Michael Bourgatte  (Institut Catholique de Paris): “Video Empowerment in the Digital Age”
• Chiara Pesaresi (Université Catholique de Lyon): “A Philosophical Perspective on Integral Human Development in the Light of Vulnerability”
• João Duque (Universidade Católica Portuguesa): “Monist Posthumanism or Analogue New Humanism?”
• Alejandra Carrasco (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile): “Justice, Respect and Care”

For more information on the programme, or streaming link please visit:

Summer School Page

Francisco Jorge Gonçalves, associate researcher of the Research Centre of the Institute for Political Studies, was distinguished by the Military University Institute, with the prize "Scientific Research in Military Sciences" in the field of "Internal Security and Criminal Phenomena", for the publication of the article "Senior Members in the Police and Security Forces as Politically Exposed Person", with Verónica Martins.

The prize was awarded during the ceremony that took place last December 7, where the Vice-Rector of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Peter Hanenberg, was present, in representation of the University.

Jurist at the Court of Auditors, Francisco Jorge Gonçalves holds a doctorate and a master's degree in Political Science and International Relations: Security and Defence, from the Institute for Political Studies at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa.

Click here to read the full article

Rafael Bernardes, PhD student in Nursing at the Institute of Health Sciences, Universidade Católica, was selected for an educational visit to the Danish Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, in Denmark.

The student was part of the group of 10 PhD students from all over the world who participated in the visit, from 7 to 11 May, in Denmark.

Among visits to a hospital, there was the opportunity to attend lectures by experts in rehabilitation and rheumatology, exchange experiences and also present the doctoral projects.

Get to know the student's project here.

The President of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, Isabel Capeloa Gil, was one of the guest speakers at the launching conference of the International Research Group on Memory and Identity, held on May 25 at the Macau Scientific and Cultural Centre. This is an initiative of the International Federation of Catholic Universities (FIUC), organised in partnership with the University of San José and the Macau Scientific and Cultural Centre.

The group is composed of researchers from several IFCU member institutions. These include Universidade Católica Portuguesa; the University of Notre Dame in Australia; the Institute of St Paul in Cambodia; the University of St Joseph in Macau, China; Notre Dame-Louaize University in Lebanon; the University of St Tomas in the Philippines and the University of St Mary in the UK.

On the occasion, the President of the UCP and of the IFCU, Isabel Capeloa Gil, presented the article "Memory and Identity: Treading New Ground on Human Rights Discussions", which was followed by the interventions of Stephen Bullivant (University of Notre Dame), Clarence Batan, (University of St Tomas, Philippines), and Edward Alam (University of Notre Dame-Louaize, Lebanon).

The article by the President of Católica was one of those chosen for the book "Memory and Identity: the Proceedings of the 28th ASEACCU Annual Conference 2022", now published.

In the text, presented in August 2022 at the 28th ASEACCU Annual Conference on the theme "Memory and Identity ", which took place in Phonm Penh, Isabel Capeloa Gil, states that "memory and identity are interconnected, playing a crucial role in the formation of cultural and political identities", adding that "memory studies have emerged to address past traumatic events and provide meaning through cultural intimacy."