Maria Romeiras

Currently, she is member of two Research Centres: full member in “Linking Landscape, Environment, Agriculture and Food (LEAF/ISA)” and collaborator in “Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes (CE3C/FCUL)”. She is also member of the recently created “Tropical College (CTROP)”, which aims to foster tropical research among ten faculties of University of Lisbon. Maria has received some honors and/or awards, namely in March 2018, she joined the list of prestigious corresponding members of Academy of Sciences of Lisbon; and in March 2019 she was distinguished by Ciência Viva (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology - FCT) in the book "Women in Science", which pays a tribute to women scientists in Portugal. Recently, she was invited to join the Vice-Chair of International network of “IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Macaronesian Islands Plant SG (MIPSG)” to lead the Cabo Verde group. Also, she has received a prestigious International award from the “Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund” for leadership in conservation initiatives, for her contribution to the study of Cabo Verde’s flora (in 2012). Moreover, Maria won several FCT grants, namely: Master fellowship at ISA; PhD fellow at FCUL, and Post-Doc at IICT. During five years (2009 -2014), she was Researcher at the Tropical Research Institute (IICT/ULisboa), within the framework of the Ciência2008 Programme/FCT. Maria has published over 3 books, 30 book chapters and more than 90 peer-reviewed papers in reputed international journals (e.g. Conservation Letters; Global Ecology and Biogeography; Biological Conservation; Scientific Reports; Frontiers in Plant Science; Plant Science; Biodiversity and Conservation; Taxon; PlosONE; Journal of Ethnopharmacology; or in Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society). In their professional activities interacted with several international collaborator(s) in co-authorship of scientific papers. Maria also acted as reviewer for several ISI journals. Since 2008, she has actively disseminated her scientific research with more than 150 conference presentations, including 80 talks, several of which as invited speaker in international meetings. Maria has participated in several research projects, being in the last years Principal Investigator in 2 projects focused on the study of Macaronesia’s flora (i.e. currently lead the project “CVAgrobiodiversity” funded (298kEUR) by Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) and FCT; and PTDC/BIA-BIC/4113/2012: 110kEUR). Currently, she is supervising several graduate students (e.g. 15 PhD students (5 completed) and 15 MS-students. Over the last years, she organized several field-expeditions, particularly several in Cabo Verde and Angola, and was member of the Organising Committees of over 10 International Congresses, namely of the 14th ESEB Congress (>1500 participants). She has been also committed to dissemination and outreaching activities such as the “Open Day, the Plants Fascination Day” promoted by the EPSO, and “European Researcher’s Night”. From 2010 to 2015, Maria was Deputy-Director of the Tropical Botanical Garden (IICT/UL) and from 2011 to 2015 was Vice-President of the Scientific Council of the IICT/ULisboa. Recently, she was nominated curator of the “Tapada da Ajuda Botanical Park and Nature Botanical Reserve D. António Xavier Pereira Coutinho”, which represents a unique natural space of local vegetation of great floral significance in Tapada da Ajuda (ISA).