Alda Pereira Simões Maria

Currently, Associate Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa (University of Lisbon).

Going back to the early days:

I did high school in Liceu Maria Amália Vaz de Carvalho, Lisboa (as distinguished student, Quadro de Honra), in 1975. I started the course of Chemical Engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (IST) in 1976. This 1-year gap was a consequence of the recent revolution in Portugal and the turmoil in the universities. The graduation took place in July 1982, with a grade of 16/20.

In the same year I started the Master course on Chemistry of Catalytic Processes (Química dos Processos Catalíticos), whose director was Prof. Ramôa Ribeiro (IST).

I was trainee assistant (Assistente Estagiária) in the Department of Chemical Engineering of IST between 1983 and 1985, with teaching activities concerned with Electrochemistry and Corrosion Science. In 1984 I spent one month at UMIST (University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, UK), under the mentoring of Prof. John Dawson to learn about the Electrochemical Noise Technique. In 1985 I graduated from the Master and automatically became teaching assistant (Assistente).

I then started my studies for the doctorate, under the topic of “Passivation and Crevice Corrosion of Stainless Steels” and under the mentoring of Prof. Mário Ferreira. The work was developed mainly at IST, but also with the crucial support of Doctor Manuel Lopes da Cunha Belo, researcher at CNRS/CECM (Centre d’Études de Chimie Metallurgique Centre Nacionale pour la Recherche Scientifique), Vitry-sur-Seine, France, who provided the conditions and equipment for the study of the semiconductive properties of passive films formed on the surface of metals. This was a major opportunity to learn about important and up-to-date techniques, namely Photoelectrochemistry, dielectric measurements based upon a.c. capacitance (Mott-Schottly approach) and Auger Electron Spectroscopy. Of relevance was also the training at UMIST in 1985 (Manchester, UK) where I got acquainted with the technique of Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, a great novelty at the time and for which a system was being purchased at IST. I graduate as Doctor in Chemical Engineering at IST in 1990 (external opponent: Prof Mário Barbosa, FEUP - Universidade do Porto) and was automatically promoted to Assistant Professor (Professora Auxiliar), as I remained until 1995.

In 1995 I joined the permanent staff of IST as Associate Professor (Professora Associada), until present.

In August 2004 – July 2005 I took a sabbatical leave to join the Group of Polymeric Materials at the NDSU (North Dakota State University, USA) as visiting scholar in collaboration with Prof Gordon Bierwagen.

In 2009 I did my habilitation (Agregação) in Chemical Engineering, with the external opponents: Prof Rui Silva (Universidade do Porto) and Prof. Maria Luísa Abrantes (FCUL).

I was a founding member of ICEMS (Instituto de Ciência e Engenharia de Materiais e Superfícies) and became President in January 2011, until December 2014 (4 years on total, elected twice).

I was associate editor of Progress in Organic Coatings (Elsevier) from October 2014 to 2019.

Supervision of doctorate students:

Andreia Granadeiro Cercas Marques; “Study of corrosion at cut edges and at micro-defects on organic-coated electrogalvanized steel by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy and Scanning Electrochemical Techniques”. Examiners: Yaiza Gonzalez-Garcia (Technical University of Delft), António Alexandre da Cunha Bastos (Univ Aveiro). Engenharia de Materiais, IST, 2015.

António Alexandre da Cunha Bastos; "Estudo Electroquímico do Efeito da Deformação Mecânica no Desempenho Anticorrosivo da Banda Pré-Pintada". Reporting examiners: María del Carmen Iglesias Pérez (Universidade de Vigo), Christopher Brett (University of Coimbra). Engenharia Química, IST, 2005.

António dos Santos Lopes Castela; "Properties and Anti-Corrosive Behaviour of the Organic Coatings". Reporting examiners: Ramon Novoa (University of Vigo, Spain), Christopher Brett (Uni. Coimbra). Engenharia Química, IST,2002.

Maria de Fátima Montemor; “Efeito das Cinzas Volantes na Corrosão de Betão Armado”. Reporting examiners: Christopher Brett (FCUCoimbra), Mário Guerreiro Silva Ferreira (IST). Engenharia Química, IST, 1995.

in co-supervision:

Felipe Azevedo Canut; orientador principal: Edgar Nobuo Mamiya; Assessment of Corrosion-Fatigue Degradation of Grade R4 Steel Using an Electrochemical-Mechanical Combined Approach”; Ciências Mecânicas, Universidade de Brasília, August 2022.