Maria Amélia Martins-Loução

Maria Amélia Martins-Loução (full name Maria Amélia Botelho de Paulo Martins Campos Loução) is a biologist, retired full professor from the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Lisbon. She received the Ibero-American Botany Prize, the Cortes de Cadiz Prize (2010), and was recognized as one of the 100 Women Scientists by Ciência Viva (2016).

Education
Martins-Loução earned her Ph.D. in biology, specializing in ecology, from the University of Lisbon in 1985 and later completed a master's degree in science communication at the NOVA University Lisbon in 2014.

Career and research
Currently, she is a researcher at the Center for Ecology, Evolution, and Global Change (cE3c) and serves as the president of the Portuguese Society of Ecology (SPECO, 2017).

She delved into nitrogen use strategies by plants, conducting research on nitrogen in the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum and the establishment of symbiotic relationships between plants and bacteria, as well as plants and fungi. The presence of nitrogen in the ecosystem and its role in biodiversity and ecosystem function alteration has been a recurring theme in her research, as it is heavily influenced by soil microbiota. She developed conservation strategies for plants, both in situ and ex situ. She served as vice-rector of the University of Lisbon, director of the Lisbon Botanical Garden, president of the board of the National Museum of Natural History, and lllHead of the Plant Biology Department at the Faculty of Sciences. Since 2006, she has been a corresponding academic of the Royal National Academy of Pharmacy in Spain. She currently serves as a scientific consultant for the European Science Foundation (since 2018) and consultant on sustainability for Green Media (since 2020). She has coordinated and reviewed national and international projects, including FCT, NATO, ADI, COST, EU-FP-5 to EU-FP-7, and CNRS projects. Additionally, she has edited books and thematic volumes for journals such as Plant and Soil and the Journal of Soil and Sediments.

Publications
She is the author of over 200 works, including book chapters and international articles, as well as more than 40 science communication articles.

Books

 * Cruz, C.; Martins-Loução, M.A.; Varma, A. (2010) The influence of plant co-culture of tomato plants with Piriformospora indica on biomass accumulation and stress tolerance.
 * Magos Brehm, J.; Mitchell, M.; Maxted, N.; Ford-Lloyd, B.V.; Martins-Loução, M.A.; Brehm, J.M.; Ford-Lloyd, B. V.; Martins-Loução, M.A. (2007) IUCN red listing of crop wildrelatives: Is a national approaches difficult as some think? CABI. 10.1079/9781845930998.0211
 * Romano, A.; Martins-Loução, M.A. (2003) Water loss and morphological modifications in leaves during acclimatization of cork oak micropropagated plantlets.
 * Romano, A.; Martins-Loução, M.A. (2003) Strategies to improve rooting and acclimatization of cork oak.
 * Marques, P.M.; Ferreira, L.; Correia, O.; Martins-Loução, M.A. (2001) Tree shelters influence growth and survival of carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) and cork oak (Quercus suber L.) plants on degraded Mediterranean sites. WIT Press. Southampton. Boston.
 * Martins-Loução, M.A.; Carvalho, J. H. Brito de. (1989) A cultura da alfarrobeira. Direcção Geral de Planeamento e Agricultura.

Books edition

 * Martins-Loução, M.A. (2021) Riscos Globais e Biodiversidade. Lisbon, Portugal: Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos.
 * Martins Loução, M.A. (2020) Aventuras num admirável mundo invisível. Lisbon, Portugal: Flamingo Edições.
 * Martins-Loução, M.A. (2011) A Aventura da Terra. Um Planeta em Evolução. Lisbon, Portugal: Esfera do Caos.

Awards

 * 2021 Grande Prémio Ciência Viva 2021 - Ciência Viva, Portugal
 * 2019 Prémio de Distinção with the video “The two faces of nitrogen" - Casa das Ciências, Portugal
 * 2016 100 Women Scientists - Ciência Viva, Portugal
 * 2010 Prémio Iberoamericano de Botânica - Cortes de Cadiz, Spain
 * 2006 Correspondente Estrangeiro da Academia - Real Academia Nacional de Farmacia, Spain
 * 1986 Correspondente Estrangeiro - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Spain
 * 1985 Honorary Member - Associação Interprofissional para o Desenvolvimento e Valorização da Alfarrobeira, Portugal