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I made the presentation of Professor Ph.D. José Luís Fontes da Costa Lima, on October 20, 2021, when Professor Ph.D. Ana Lopes, President of the Portuguese Society of Electrochemistry (SPE), gave him the SPE Award, at the opening ceremony of the XXIV Meeting of the SPE (2021). I was a long way from thinking that, after three months, I would go, on behalf of the SPE, and in my name, to his memorial in Oporto.
Professor Ph.D. Costa Lima was President of the SPE and a noted electrochemical scientist. Let me highlight some aspects of his journey.
In 1977, he graduated in Chemistry, at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Oporto (FCUP).
After completing his degree, he joined the Chemistry Department of FCUP, as a research assistant.
Also in 1977, he began his research work with Professor Adélio Machado, advisor of his doctoral thesis, on selective ion electrodes.
During this period, he made a traineeship at the University of Wales, under the guidance of Professors G. J. Moody and J. D. R. Thomas, developing his research in the field of Electrochemistry.
In 1985, he received his Ph.D. in Chemistry, in the specialty of Analytical Chemistry, at FCUP, having been unanimously approved with Summa Cum Laude, after defending the thesis "Selective ion electrodes with conductive resin support" (Eléctrodos selectivos de iões com suporte de resina conductora).
In 1986, he moved from FCUP to the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Oporto (FFUP), as an assistant professor, at the invitation of Professor Roque da Silva, who intended to found there a group in the area of Analytical Chemistry applied to Pharmaceutical Sciences. This challenge resulted in the creation of a School that gave rise to more than 60 PhDs, which already has enabled two more generations of new PhDs in this scientific area.
In 1992, he began to serve as an associate professor, at FFUP.
In 1995, he took public examinations to obtain the title of full professor, ascending to the category of endowed professor in 1996.
On December 4, 2015, he gave his last class in the Noble Hall of the ICBAS (Institute of Biomedical SciencesAbel Salazar) /FFUP complex.
On March 22, 2017, in the celebrations of the day of the University of Oporto, he was distinguished with the title of Professor Emeritus.
Throughout his academic career at FFUP, he guided about 25 research traineeships for graduate and Ph.D. students, under exchange programs with Spanish and Brazilian universities. He conducted the curricular units of Analytical Chemistry and Instrumental Methods of Analysis, at pre-graduate education. He was Chair of the curricular unit of Chemical and Physical Control in the Master's degree in Quality Control, and of the curricular unit of Analytical Toxicology Analysis Methods in the Master's degree in Clinical and Forensic Analytical Toxicology, from 2009 to 2015. Also at FFUP, he held several administration positions, including: Chairman of the Board of Directors, in 1998 and 1999; Chairman of the Scientific Council, in 2000 and 2001; and Director of the Faculty, from 2011 to 2015, corresponding this mandate to FFUP transition and installation phase into the current facilities.
Externally to the University of Oporto, he collaborated with the Higher School of Biotechnology of the Catholic University, where he conducted the curricular units of Analytical Chemistry and Instrumental Methods, at pre-graduate education, from 1985 to 2010.
He was President of the Institute of Agrarian and Agri-Food Sciences and Technologies, from 1998 to 2012, and member of the Scientific and Technical Committee of the Associated Laboratory for Green Chemistry - Chemistry and Technology Network (LAQV-REQUIMTE), from 2001 to 2008.
He was coordinator and executive researcher of over four dozen financed research projects. His work with greater impact on the scientific community was about the automation of analytical procedures, focusing on the design, construction and use of potentiometric and voltammetric detectors of tubular configuration, and their rigid fixation to automatic systems. In his work in the area of automation, the teams led by him generated new concepts of fluid management, with the introduction of multiple switching elements in flow networks, by multi-switching and multi-pumping, two automation techniques based on non-equilibrium chemical conditions, at the time of the execution of analytical measurements. These concepts were subsequently used, in a generalized way, in the development of new methods of analysis. Very recently, he led the participation of a Portuguese team in a European Space Agency (ESA) project aimed at controlling space cabin water under zero pressure conditions.
He has authored or co-authored over 570 scientific publications indexed in the areas of Fundamental Analytical Chemistry, and of Food, Biological and Environmental Control, which were published in more than 100 national and international scientific journals, and he has made over 3000 communications in national and international congresses, scoring an h=63 index, and more than 28,000 citations.
He has established collaborations with about 50 institutions from 14 countries, especially Brazil and Spain.
In addition to the already mentioned SPE Award, he has received many awards and distinctions:
In 1991, the Galician-Portuguese Scientific Award of Chemistry-Scientific Production, given by the National Association of Chemists of Spain.
In 2004, the Research Excellence Award, from the Foundation for Science and Technology.
In 2008, the FIA Honor Award for Science, by the Japan Society for Analytical Chemistry, and by the Japanese Association for Flow Injection Analysis
In 2012, the Ferreira da Silva Award, given by the Portuguese Chemical Society.
In 2005, he was appointed a foreign member of the Brazilian Academy of Sciences.
In September 2016, he was honored by the Analytical Chemistry Division of the Brazilian Chemical Society, in recognition of his contribution to teaching and research in Brazil.
In 2018, he was distinguished by the National Association of Chemists of Spain, at the XXV Galician-Portuguese Chemistry Meeting, in recognition of his 25 participations as a member of the Directive Commission of all the Meetings held so far.
In 2018, he was appointed a merit member of the Portuguese Chemical Society.
He collaborated very closely with several Portuguese Scientific Societies:
Portuguese Society of Electrochemistry, of which he was: a member since its foundation; and President, from 2000 to 2002.
Portuguese Chemical Society, of which he was: Vice-President of the Board, from 2004 to 2006; President of the Analytical Chemistry Division, from 1996 to 1998, and from 2000 to 2003; and President of the Oporto Delegation, from 2007 to 2012.
Portuguese Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences, of which he was: a founding member; Board President, from 2010 to 2015; and President of the General Assembly, from 2016 to his decease.
