Comissão de Educação e Ciência da Assembleia da República

Was born and completed high school in Lourenço Marques (Maputo) Mozambique.

Read physics/mathematics at Witwatersrand University in Johannesburg, completing his Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics in 1972.  The next two decades in California at U.C. Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory as professor of cell physiology and director of a Center for Environmental Studies.  He moved to the University of Porto as professor of biophysics at the Biomedical Faculty (ICBAS) in the early 90's. Was, until 2010, director of both the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering.  He then chaired the committee responsible for implementing a newly formed consortium of the three major biomedical research institutions in Porto (i3S).  He is a member of several international Academies, and over the years has chaired various committees at the ESF, the OECD, the European Commission (Chair of Advisory Committee for Marie Curie Actions, Chair of ELSA, member of EURAB and  STAC) and other national and international research organizations.  He is currently President of the Parliamentary Committee for Education and Science and President of the Ethics Committee for Clinical Research in Portugal.  He has published well over one hundred and thirty peer-reviewed scientific articles and six books and has always been involved in science policy. His current interests are in the areas of biological stress, risk perception and public understanding of science.