About us
Green Labs Portugal was formed in October 2021, when several grassroots “green teams”, made up of scientists and research institutes staff, came together to form a network of like-minded groups that share the desire for making science more sustainable. We advocate for sustainable research practices to reduce the environmental impact of research in Portugal.
Our Mission
Our mission is to promote and support the implementation of green lab initiatives across Portugal, driving changes in Portuguese research community towards more environmentally aware research practices. Greenlabs Portugal currently connects 11 research institutions, promoting the exchange of knowledge, practices, and resources; assisting the creation of new green teams; connecting Greenlabs to other European green teams and networks. By educating and providing tools to scientists, we expect to make their research environmentally friendly with no compromise to research quality.
Steering Committee
Joana Magalhães
Associate researcher
i3S – Instituto de Inovação e Investigação em Saúde
Joana Magalhães is a researcher in ageing and age-related diseases at i3S – Instituto de Investigação e Inovação em Saúde, University of Porto. In response to the significant environmental footprint of scientific research, she became involved in the i3S GreenLab initiative in 2020, a grassroots effort to promote sustainability within the institute. Committed to advancing environmentally responsible research practices, she went on to found GreenLabs Portugal in 2021, an initiative aimed at driving sustainable change across the Portuguese research community.
Susana Alarico
Researcher
CNC/CIBB-University of Coimbra
Susana Alarico is a researcher at the Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, University of Coimbra (CIBB-UC), where she studies several topics, including the biology of nontuberculous mycobacteria and their adaptation to anthropogenic environments; mycobacteriosis and the identification of new targets for innovative therapies; and human microbiome signatures associated with gut dysbiosis in chronic diseases.
For her, daily research aimed at promoting people’s health and well-being only makes sense if researchers are also committed to respecting the environment. She is the Coordinator of Green Lab CIBB and is actively involved in implementing sustainable practices within her institution to reduce its environmental footprint.
Maria João Carvalho
Researcher
iBiMED – Instituto de Biomedicine
Maria João Carvalho is a researcher at the Institute of Biomedicine, University of Aveiro. Her research interests span Microbiology, Genomics, Metagenomics and Bioinformatics analysis for the characterisation of microbes and microbiota associated with disease and integrate multimodal data to study the microbiota interactions with biotic and abiotic factors.
Maria João is a member of the iBiMED GreenLab team, which focuses on three key areas: reduce, reuse, recycle research material; energy reduction and rational use; education, awareness, and community engagement. She is committed to responsible and sustainable biomedical research and to raise awareness among scientific peers and the wider society, with the aim of contributing to a sustainable and resilient future.
Rute Moura
Lab Manager
ICVS – Life and Health Sciences Research Institute
Rute Moura is the Coordinator of the Laboratory Unit at Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), University of Minho, where she serves as Laboratory Manager overseeing daily operations, procedures, and technical staff. She also supervises the Histology and Molecular Biology Services Lab and is an Affiliated Researcher with the Surgical Sciences and Allied Technologies Team, contributing to research on lung development using the chicken embryo as a model system.