Irene Fonseca awarded the Prémio Universidade de Lisboa 2024

The jury of the Prémio Universidade de Lisboa 2024 announced that it will award the prize to researcher Irene Fonseca, a former student and member of the External Advisory Committee of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (Ciências ULisboa). The decision, announced this Wednesday, aims to publicly recognize her “world-class scientific leadership and fundamental impact on contemporary mathematics, and a career of exceptional rigor and academic merit that, starting from the University of Lisbon, has placed Portugal on the map of international science,” according to the jury's decision.

A graduate in mathematics from the Ciências ULisboa, Irene Fonseca left in the 1980s for her first stay in the United States of America, which allowed her to obtain her master's and doctoral degrees at the University of Minnesota.

After a period in Paris, she crossed the Atlantic again to extend her brilliant career at Carnegie Mellon University. It was at this prestigious American university that she became a full professor and received the institution's highest academic distinction with the title of University Professor.

In addition to holding the Kavčić-Moura Chair, Irene Fonseca has been leading the Center for Nonlinear Analysis at Carnegie Mellon University. Her curriculum vitae highlights more than 150 scientific articles and world-renowned work "at the interface between Mathematical Analysis, Materials Science and Computer Vision," according to the University of Lisbon.

"His scientific activity is distinguished by its density, depth, and diversity: centred on Calculus of Variations and Partial Differential Equations, it extends to areas interfacing with Physics, Engineering, and various applications. The impact of his work far surpasses the strict domain of Mathematics, as demonstrated by extraordinary metrics for the field," states the official address of the University of Lisbon.

The University of Lisbon Prize has, over 10 editions, recognized national and international figures for their contributions to the advancement of Science and/or Culture. The prize is supported by Caixa Geral de Depósitos.Adriano Moreira, Nuno Teotónio Pereira, Jorge Calado, Maria de Sousa, António Borges Coelho, Gonçalo M. Tavares, António Guterres, Maria do Carmo Fonseca, Luís Portela, and Vítor Cardoso, are among the award winners from previous editions.

The jury for the 2024 University of Lisbon Prize is composed of Luís Manuel dos Anjos Ferreira (President), Emílio Rui Vilar (Vice-President), António Cruz Serra, António M. Feijó, António Sampaio da Nóvoa, Joana M. Amaro da Costa Luz Carneiro, João Vieira Pereira, Filipa Urbano Calvão, Maria Isabel Stilwell, Maria Leonor Beleza and Maria Manuel Mota.