Affiliation: University of Aveiro, Portugal
Keywords: Supramolecular biomaterials,Macromolecular and interfacial self-assembly, Nanobiotechnology, Peptides, Carbohydrates, Nucleic acids, Layer-by-Layer technology, Supramolecular hydrogels, Drug delivery, Tissue engineering, Regenerative medicine
Full profile: Dr. João Borges is a Senior Researcher at the Department of Chemistry and CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials at the University of Aveiro, Portugal. He graduated and received his PhD in Chemistry from the University of Porto. His research focuses on the molecular design, synthesis and development of biofunctional supramolecular multicomponent biomaterials to interface with living systems. In particular, he and his team have been developing bioinspired, chemically programmable and dynamic supramolecular hydrogels and layer-by-layer-driven soft self-assembling nanobiomaterials by combining polysaccharides, self-assembling peptides, proteins and nucleic acids, to be used as bioinstructive matrices to control cell functions and as platforms for controlled drug/protein/therapeutics delivery.
João has been also lecturing on supramolecular biomaterials for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine strategies in Portugal and abroad at undergraduate and graduate levels, as well as on communication and presentation skills. He has been Principal Investigator of major R&D projects funded at European (e.g., SUPRALIFE) and national Levels (e.g., SUPRASORT), and team member in several other funded EU and national projects.
He is an Editorial Advisory Board Member of the Journal of Materials Chemistry B (Royal Society of Chemistry, RSC), Associate Editor for Frontiers in Medical Technology, and he has served as guest editor for several international peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of Materials Chemistry B and Pure and Applied Chemistry.
He has been elected Member of the Biomaterials Chemistry Group at the RSC and he is the recipient of several honors and awards. He has been elected Chemistry Europe Fellow (Class of 2022/2023), Member of the RSC (MRSC), Journal of Materials Chemistry B Emerging Investigator (2023), and received the IUPAC Periodic Table of Younger Chemists Award (2019).
Beyond his academic activity and scientific impact, João has been devoted to connecting, mentoring, and empowering early-career scientists globally in advancing their professional development. In addition, he has been strongly committed to delivering a positive social impact by being invested in science communication, outreach, policy and diplomacy as a Member of the Global Young Academy (GYA), Young Academy of Portugal of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences, International Younger Chemists Network (IYCN), European Young Chemists’ Network (EYCN), and Young Chemists Group of the Portuguese Chemical Society (GQJ–SPQ). He is co-chair of the Global Conversation on Sustainability (GCS), a joint project by the IYCN and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) which aims to tackle the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals by raising awareness and implementing sustainable practices globally, and a National Representative of the IYCN Standing Committee at IUPAC. João is a member of several professional scientific organizations, including the RSC, the American Chemical Society (ACS), the European Society for Biomaterials (ESB), SPQ, and IUPAC.