Presentation of the Prémio Universidade de Lisboa to Irene Fonseca

The Great Hall of the University of Lisbon’s Rectory opens its doors to pay tribute to one of the brightest minds in contemporary mathematics: Irene Fonseca, a former student and member of the External Advisory Committee of Ciências ULisboa.

With a career that bridges the gap between mathematics and the real world, influencing fields such as materials science and computer vision, Irene Fonseca is now a leading voice on the global scientific stage.

This award, which recognises both her rigour and her merit, also highlights the impact of a researcher who, starting out at our University, has put Portugal on the international scientific map.

• 17h30 - Opening of the session by Luís Ferreira, Rector of the University of Lisbon

• 17h40 - Address by Paulo Macedo, Chairman of the Executive Board of Caixa Geral de Depósitos

• 17h50 - Address by Jorge Buescu, Professor at Ciências ULisboa

• 18h00 - Presentation of the Award to Irene Fonseca

• 18h05 - Address by Irene Fonseca

• 18h20 - Musical Interlude by the Coro de Câmara da Universidade de Lisboa (University of Lisbon Chamber Choir)

• 18h30 - Port of Honour

Irene Fonseca was born in Lisbon in 1956, and graduated in Mathematics at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, with an average mark of 20. She then completed a master's degree and doctorate in the United States of America and a post-doctorate in Paris. In 1987 she settled at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh (USA), where she became a full professor and has led, since 1998, the Center for Nonlinear Analysis (CNA) which, under her guidance, has gained international recognition.

She is a fellow and vice-president (until 2026) of the American Mathematical Society (AMS), the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM), the European Academy of Sciences, and the Academy of Sciences of Lisbon. She is a published author, with more than a hundred articles and several books, and editor of various scientific journals. Currently, she is also part of several scientific evaluation panels for research centres, institutes, and mathematics departments in the United States of America and Europe.