Bernardo Albuquerque Nogueira
PhD in Chemistry
Embedded Files
Biography
Biography
Bernardo Albuquerque Nogueira was born in Coimbra in 1992 and spent his childhood in Braga, where he completed his pre-university studies. He also resided in Itu, Brazil, for three years (2000-2002). At the age of 18, Bernardo returned to Coimbra and enrolled at the University of Coimbra. Currently, he divides his time between Porto and Braga, located in the northern part of Portugal.
Bernardo has a wide range of personal interests, including listening to music, attending live gigs, watching sports (particularly handball, football, and cycling), reading various genres of books (with favorite authors such as Carl Sagan, Gonçalo M. Tavares, Carlo Rovelli, and Jack London), and traveling as much as possible.
Throughout his academic journey, Bernardo actively participated in numerous associative roles within various organizations. He served as the elected President of the Chemistry Students Association in Coimbra (2013-2014), held a board member position in the Coimbra Academic Association (2015-2016), and was the co-founder and the first elected President of the Portuguese Chemistry Students Association (2014-2015). Additionally, he co-founded and served as the CEO of Molecular JE (2017-2021), which became the first Portuguese Junior Enterprise focused on science communication.
Academic degrees
Academic degrees
Bernardo earned his first BSc in Medicinal Chemistry in 2013, followed by a second BSc in Chemistry in 2014, and then completed his MSc in Chemistry in 2016, all from the University of Coimbra.
In 2017, Bernardo embarked on his PhD studies in Chemistry Specialization in Molecular Spectroscopy), also at the University of Coimbra. During this period, he had the opportunity of spending one year at Politecnico di Milano, as Visiting PhD at the Laboratory of Organic Functional and Nanostructured Materials (Department of Chemistry, Materials and Chemical Engineering "Giulio Natta").
Bernardo successfully defended his PhD thesis in July 2022, his PhD thesis, titled "Generation and Characterization of Novel Materials exhibiting Color Polymorphism." The PhD project was supervised by Prof. Rui Fausto and Prof. Chiara Castiglioni.
Research
Research
Bernardo is currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), located in Braga, Portugal. His primary focus lies in the innovative design and synthesis of plasmonic composites, specifically for their application in detecting water toxins through Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS).
Other of his scientific interests are related to polymorphism, studied from a structural, computational, spectroscopic, and thermodynamic approach. He has also been involved in astrochemistry, pharmaceutical control, and inorganic field studies, specially conducted by Raman spectroscopy.
Additionally, Bernardo is also very interested in the Origin of Life scientific field, and particularly in one of the eldest and most intringuing (scientific) questions ever made by humans: "How did life begin?".
Hitherto (January 2026), Bernardo has authored 35+ peer-reviewed papers and contributed to 4 book chapters. These works have garnered 475+ citations (h-index: 11; i10-index: 14).
Beyond his research endeavors, Bernardo actively devotes a portion of his time to educational initiatives and outreach projects, having recently published a popular science, A Ciência das Coisas (The Science of Things), tailored for children aged 8 to 12 years old.
Book The Science of Things Now Available!
Book The Science of Things Now Available!
A Ciência das Coisas (The Science of Things) is a children’s and youth science outreach book, especially aimed at children between 8 and 12 years old, published by Suricata Editora. Written by Bernardo Albuquerque Nogueira and illustrated by Carlo Giovani, the book includes a foreword by Prof. Carlos Fiolhais. It can be ordered via private message on Suricata Editora’s Instagram and Facebook pages, on the websites of Wook, Bertrand, Fnac, Almedina and Worten, as well as at Ciência Viva Science Centers, various independent bookstores, and Fnac stores.
Synopsis:
Chemistry deals with the transformations of the materials that make up the world—transformations we commonly call chemical reactions. In this book, we will discover what the Universe is made of and how the reactions occur that allow the reality around us to be the way we see it. Maria and her imaginary friend Helium (a teddy bear) take a journey through the world of chemistry: they begin by exploring some concepts and, together with the reader, demonstrate them through fun experiments!
Science Outreach Activities
Science Outreach Activities
The following original science communication activities can be requested by email to be presented at schools and associations:
Talk: “How the Universe Works”
Target audience: 11th and 12th grade students
Duration: 90 minutes
Synopsis: The goal of this talk is to explain how the Universe works (or what we currently know about it) at the physical and chemical level. Based on the limits of current knowledge, Quantum Gravity Theory is briefly introduced, bringing together the famous Theories of General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics. Using these two theories, illustrated through simple analogies, the atomic and molecular functioning of everything we know is explained. In the final part of the talk, the usefulness of these concepts is presented, particularly regarding their application in Chemistry research.
Places/events where the activity has already taken place: Escola Molecular – Coimbra (2020, 2022, 2023); Externato Cooperativo da Benedita – Benedita (2021, 2023); Dr. Augusto César Silva Ferreira Secondary School – Rio Maior (2023); Lordelo School Grouping – Paredes (2024); Barcelos Municipal Library - Barcelos (2026). Approximately 500 participants.
Talk: “5 Discoveries That Changed the World”
Target audience: 7th to 10th grade students
Duration: 60 minutes
Synopsis: Beginning with a temporal contextualization of the origin of life on Planet Earth, based on the cosmic calendar, the relative youth of both our civilization and modern science is highlighted. After this introduction, five scientific discoveries (both positive and negative) that changed the world and their implications for society are presented. These are: matches, the World Wide Web, penicillin, tetraethyl lead, and CFCs. In the case of the last two examples, the role of science in solving the global problems that arose from the commercialization of these compounds is also demonstrated. In this way, the central role of science in addressing the environmental challenges facing our planet is emphasized.
Places/events where the activity has already taken place: University of Coimbra Summer University – Coimbra (2019); Pombal Secondary School – Pombal (2021); D. Duarte Secondary School – Coimbra (2022); Taveiro Basic School (2nd and 3rd cycles) – Coimbra (2022); Lima-de-Faria Secondary School – Cantanhede (2022); Dr. Pedrosa Veríssimo Basic School (2nd and 3rd cycles) – Figueira da Foz (2022); Science and Technology Week at the University of Coimbra – Coimbra (2022); Barcelos Municipal Library – Barcelos (2023); Lamaçães Basic School (2nd and 3rd cycles) – Braga (2023); Marinha Grande Poente School Grouping – Marinha Grande (2023). Approximately 450 participants.
Book Presentation / Workshop: “The Science of Things”
Target audience: 3rd to 6th grade students
Duration: 45 minutes
Synopsis: Based on the book of the same name, this activity aims to introduce experimental sciences—namely chemistry and physics—through the content and experimental activities proposed in the book. The experiments are chosen according to the participants’ ages, so they can take part and understand, even in a simplified way, the scientific phenomena addressed in each activity. The workshop can also be adapted for teachers and educators interested in the area.
Places/events where the activity has already taken place: Bookstore Centésima Página, Braga (2023), Bookstore Almedina Estádio, Coimbra (2023), Library Biblioteca Municipal de Guimarães, Guimarães (2023), Bookstore Faz de Conto, Coimbra (2023), School Agrupamento de Escolas Alexandre Herculano, Porto (2023), Congress X Encontro da Divisão de Ensino e Divulgação da Química, Lisboa (2023), Activity Livros no Mercado, Coimbra (2023) School EB de Barqueiros, Barcelos (2024), School EB de Alheira, Barcelos (2024), School EB de Aldão, Barcelos (2024), School EB Rosa Ramalho, Barcelos (2024), School EB de Fragoso, Barcelos (2024), School EB de Macieira de Rates, Barcelos (2024), School EB de Negreiros, Barcelos (2024), School EB de Silveiros, Barcelos (2024), School EBS Viatodos, Barcelos (2024), School EB de Cambeses, Barcelos (2024), School EB S. Miguel de Nevogilde, Porto (2024), School EB de São João da Foz, Porto (2024), School EB Paulo da Gama, Porto (2024), School Colégio Dom João de Aboim, Vila Verde (2024), School Agrupamento Escolas Rates, Póvoa de Varzim (2024), Fnac Store in MAR Shopping Mall, Matosinhos (2024), School Colégio Efanor, Matosinhos (2024), School EB 2,3 + S Tenente-Coronel Adão Carrapatoso, Vila Nova de Foz Côa (2024), School EB1 Dr. Francisco Campos Henriques, Vila Nova de Foz Côa (2024), Fnac Store in GaiaShopping Mall, Vila Nova de Gaia (2024), Fnac Store in NorteShopping Mall, Matosinhos (2024), Fnac Store in Braga Parque Shopping Mall, Braga (2024), Lisbon Book Fair, Lisbon (2024), Fnac Store in Guimarães Shopping Mall, Guimarães (2024), Barcelos Book Fair, Barcelos (2024), Maia Book Fair, Maia (2024), School Colégio de Gaia, Gaia (2024), Porto Book Fair, Porto (2024), Belém Book Fair, Lisbon (2024), Fnac Store in MAR Shopping Mall, Matosinhos (2024), Fnac Store in Alameda Shopping Mall, Porto (2024), School EB de Macieira de Rates, Barcelos (2024), School EB de Perelhal, Barcelos (2024), School EB Major David Neto, Portimão (2025), School EB Prof. José Buísel, Portimão (2025), Lagos Science Centre, Lagos (2025), Library Biblioteca Municipal Manuel Teixeira Gomes, Portimão (2025), School EB de São João da Foz, Porto (2025), School EB Paulo da Gama, Porto (2025) School EB S. Miguel de Nevogilde, Porto (2025), St. Paul's School, Coimbra (2025), School EB das Machuqueiras, Póvoa de Varzim (2025), Livraria Lello Foundation, Matosinhos (2025). Approximately 2500 participants.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse