The Portuguese State distinguished CICECO researcher and professor at the University of Aveiro, João Rocha, with the medal of scientific merit from the Ministry of Education, Scienceand Technology. The ceremony took place on July 4th, at Alfândega do Porto, during the Science 2024 Meeting.

The objective of the award aims to reward individuals, national or foreign, who, due to their high professional qualities and fulfillment of duty, have distinguished themselves by valuable and exceptional contributions to the development of science or scientific culture in Portugal. João Rocha emphasizes that “of course, this recognition extends to my research group, present and past, to CICECO and the University of Aveiro”.

      Professor at the Department of Chemistry at the University of Aveiro, João Rocha is Director of the Portuguese Center for Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. He founded and directed the Materials Institute of Aveiro – CICECO from 2002 to 2022. He received his doctorate in 1990 from the University of Cambridge where he also completed his post-doctorate. The CICECO researcher is especially interested in the chemistry of porous nanomaterials, catalysts, light-emitting materials and battery materials and one of the milestones of his career is one of the materials he developed. A drug that is currently used to treat excess potassium in the blood, available on the European and American market.

The distinction, awarded after an opinion from the Foundation for Science and Technology and the National Agency for scientific and technological culture - Ciência Viva, has already awarded, since 2022, personalities from various areas such as Ana Luísa Amaral, Carlos Fiolhais, Luíza Cortesão, Walter Osswald , Alavro Siza-Vieira, Prince Hussain Aga Khan, Manuela Veloso, João Manuel Nabeiro, Ricardo Conde or Maria José Fernandes. João Rocha hopes that given its notoriety and wide dissemination, as well as the scientists who received it, the award can also contribute to giving more visibility to the excellent work carried out in Portugal in the fields of Chemistry and Materials Science.
          On a final note, and when asked about the most important points that allow us to follow an exemplary path in science, the director of the recently opened Portuguese Magnetic Resonance Center lists “passion for science, which implies reading far beyond the area in which he if you work; creativity, which can be stimulated by great literature, poetry and various forms of artistic expression; some personal ambition and a moderate ego; ability to face endless hours of work with focus, which are not always enjoyable; ability to combine professional and family/social activities; ability to identify relevant scientific challenges and investigate them for years; ability to accept error and failure; ability to write and communicate in general; contribute in a very determined and inspiring way to the training of young researchers, opening their horizons and facilitating the start of their independent careers; ability to leave the scene at the right time.”