Centre for Functional Ecology - Science for People & the Planet (CFE)

This group is focused on the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems, mainly dedicated to the ecology of communities and their interactions in response to global changes.

Although this group is functionally divided into several lines of research (RL), there is a very active collaboration between all researchers, namely: RL above-bellowground links, RL Biological Invasions, RL Dendroecology, Rl Ecological Networks, RL Biogeochemistry and Changes Global and RL Plant Ecophysiology.

This research group has recently expanded its scope of research, from knowledge and critical understanding of different patterns of biodiversity to an integrated view of the conversation of endogenous genetic resources towards a more sustainable agro-environment.

It comprises the following research lines (RL): RL Taxonomy and Collections, RL Ecology and Evolution, RL Conservation of Plants and Genetic Resources, RL Phytopathology and RL Agro-Environment and Ecosystem Services.

This group focuses on the relationship between marine biota, climate change and anthropogenic changes. It presents recent interests in terms of nutrition in aquaculture and in the impacts of dangerous substances, which led to its organization in the following research lines (RL): RL Coastal and Estuary Ecology, RL Aquaculture and RL Environmental and Human Security.

This group focuses on developing innovative research on the structural and functional effects of natural and anthropogenic stressors, at all levels of biological organization.

The group is organized into three research lines (RL) that are involved in an intense collaboration in the search to implement a holistic approach that allows solving environmental problems: RL Soil Ecology, RL Freshwater Ecology and RL Ecotoxicology.

This group is focused on the study of specific ecological aspects of forest ecosystems, looking for the development of forest management solutions and alternatives. The reality of forest ecosystems in Central Portugal is unique in a global context, as it involves the dominance of alien woody species that are phylogenetically very distant from local species.

It was created in 2019 as a result of a protocol signed between the University of Coimbra and the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra.

This group is focused on the development of methodologies for use in human identification, in the interpretation of traumatic bone injuries and in the evaluation of post-mortem intervals. These methods are fully applicable to cases of real scenarios in the field of forensic anthropology.

Several members of this group are actively involved with the authorities responsible for such cases, both at national level and with international organizations that investigate crimes against humanity. The group has contributed greatly to the development of forensic anthropology and paleobiology. In turn, the milestones reached within the forensic sciences have contributed to achieving more and more positive human identifications.

This group aims to develop and promote research based on an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary vision, integrating social sciences, environmental sciences and local / cultural knowledge, in order to emphasize the complementary dimensions of the socio-environmental phenomenon and sustainability, contributing to better understand the complexity of the functioning of ecosystems.

The group also develops relevant efforts towards the communication of science and dialogues between science and society, by promoting the articulation and convergence of knowledge, citizenship and reflexivity between science and everyday life, emphasizing the various dimensions of environmental and social issues and the links between biodiversity and human societies.

This group has as its main focus on History, in its intrinsic relationship with territories and communities, understanding the breadth of the essential interconnections of Social Sciences and Humanities with other disciplinary areas raised by contemporary societal challenges in interaction with the complexity of the global commitment to sustainability.

It brings together researchers with different backgrounds in various research axes / lines guided by a common agenda, focused on the pursuit of specific work programs, maintaining as a fundamental element the transversal dialogue with the research dynamics pursued by CFE-UC and raised by its dedicated mission the sustainability of territories and the well-being of communities. CFE hub at NOVA FSCH

he Bioelectronics & Bioenergy Research Lab works at the interface of materials science, electronics, and biology. We design, fabricate, and characterize devices and systems that record, modulate and harvest cell-cell communication.

Our aim is to understand the fundamental processes of cell-cell communication towards developing better tools for healthcare and environmental sustainability.

Research themes include the development of in-vitro and in-vivo devices that interface with (1) electrically active microorganisms, such as microalgae, with applications in bioenergy and harmful algae blooms and (2) electrically active cells and tissues, with applications in neurological disorders and cancer.