Honorary Doctorate

2025

Carlos Salema

Born in 1942 in Ponta Delgada, Carlos Salema is distinguished for his influential work in engineering, especially in electromagnetic radiation technologies, and his leadership at Instituto Superior Técnico for over four decades. He co-founded the Telecommunications Institute, evaluated emergency response systems following Portugal's major forest fires in 2017, and facilitated the creation of an IT delegation at Iscte. Salema led the National Board of Scientific and Technological Research and later served as president of the Lisbon Academy of Sciences. His research in telecommunications, antennas, and wave propagation notably focuses on the social impact of science. In 2021, he was awarded the Medal of Scientific Merit by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education.

Isabel Furtado

Isabel Furtado was born in 1961 in Vila Nova de Famalicão. She is CEO of TMG Automotive, a family business founded by her grandfather that today operates in China and the USA and has become a European leader in the production of automotive interiors. Under her leadership, TMG has expanded internationally and implemented innovative production processes. She is also currently chairman of the Board of Directors of Casa da Música, where she has supported major cultural initiatives and organisational growth. Throughout her professional career, she has received numerous distinctions, including the Grand Cross of the Order of Infante D. Henrique (2022) for her contribution to industry and the Commander's Cross of the Order of Industrial Merit (2014) for promoting industrial development. In addition to her remarkable career, she maintains a deep commitment to social and environmental issues, advocating for the implementation of sustainable practices and stimulating industrial innovation. She is one of the most prominent figures in Portugal's textile and automotive industries.

Teresa de Sousa

Teresa de Sousa (1951) began her career as a journalist in 1977 and is now recognised for her work in European and international affairs. She worked at several media outlets and, in June 1989, joined the founding team of Público as chief editor. In this capacity, she covered landmark political events, including German reunification, the 1991 coup in Moscow, the 1992 US elections that elected Bill Clinton, and the first Gulf War. She biographed Mário Soares and published several books on European themes. Among several awards and distinctions, she received the Commendation of the Order of Infante D. Henrique from Jorge Sampaio and the "European Citizenship" Award from the European Parliament. She is currently a columnist for Público, where she subscribes to a weekly newsletter and podcast on international politics. Throughout her career, she has made a fundamental contribution to understanding the main political dynamics of Europe and the world, and is considered one of the most prestigious Portuguese journalists.

2023

Pedro Pires

Pedro Pires, born on the island of Fogo, significantly shaped Cape Verde’s political trajectory by joining liberation movements and later leading the PAIGC. He served as Prime Minister (1975-1991), overseeing the nation's democratic transition, and as President (2001, 2006), reinforcing multi-party governance. Pires founded the Pedro Pires Institute for Leadership in Praia, focusing on promoting good governance, civic awareness, and democracy in Cape Verde and Africa.

Manuela Veloso

She is a full professor at Carnegie Mellon University, where she earned her PhD in 1992. She developed collaborative robots (Cobots) that participate in the RoboCup robotics competition and currently leads the artificial intelligence research unit at JP Morgan. AA renowned Portuguese scientist in collaborative robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), in 2019, she inspired the creation of Iscte's pioneering degree in Data Science and contributed to the launch of the Iscte-Sintra School of Applied Digital Technologies in Portugal.2020

Nuno Portas

Nuno Portas is a pivotal figure in Portuguese architecture, urbanism, and housing, impacting the aesthetic, social, and political realms for over fifty years. Educated at the Lisbon and Porto Schools of Fine Arts, he contributed to major urban planning projects, often collaborating with Nuno Teotónio Pereira. Portas held influential policy-making and advisory roles in both national and local government.

2020

António Correia de Campos

António Correia de Campos is recognised for his contributions to health, public administration, and public policy in Portugal. Born in Torredeita, Viseu, he holds a law degree from the University of Coimbra, a master's in public health from Johns Hopkins University, and a PhD from the New University of Lisbon. He served as Minister of Health, led the National Institute of Administration, directed the Luso-American Development Foundation, and presided over the Economic and Social Council, shaping health and administrative reforms.

José Pacheco Pereira

José Pacheco Pereira is renowned for shaping Portuguese political discourse and knowledge through his scholarship, publications, and media presence. A philosopher by training and an academic at Iscte since 1980, he also served in parliament and as an MEP. Pereira founded Ephemera, a significant archive preserving Portugal’s collective memory, underlining his contribution to public understanding of national issues.

2012

Fernando Henrique Cardoso

Fernando Henrique Cardoso, President of Brazil from 1995–2002, continues to exert global influence as president of the Fernando Henrique Cardoso Institute and honorary president of PSDB. He is active on international boards, chairs the Independent Commission on AIDS and Law, co-chairs the Latin American Commission on Drugs and Democracy, and launched the Global Commission on Drug Policy. A prolific author, his work, such as 'International Chess and Social Democracy,' and his updated bibliography are widely referenced.

Manuel Marín

Manuel Marín, born in Ciudad Real in 1949, played an instrumental role in founding the Erasmus programme during his tenure as European Commissioner for Social Affairs, Education, and Employment. He was Vice-President of the European Commission, a long-standing member of the Cortes, and Secretary of State for Relations with the European Communities. As an academic and current president of the Iberdrola Foundation, he further contributes to education and energy debates.

2011

José Veiga Simão

José Veiga Simão, a university professor and Cambridge PhD, held pivotal roles as rector, ambassador, and policy reformer in Portuguese higher education during the 1970s. He served as Rector of Lourenço Marques University, as an ambassador to the UN, and as director of the Portuguese Heritage Foundation. His international accolades, including honorary doctorates, reflect his influence in university leadership and educational reform.
 

André Jordan

André Jordan, a Brazilian-Portuguese entrepreneur, revolutionised tourism and real estate in Portugal with landmark developments such as Quinta do Lago and Vilamoura. Early in his career, he was a journalist and author. He has served on various cultural boards and councils, received prestigious decorations from Portugal and Brazil, and is an honorary citizen of Rio de Janeiro, having been presented with the key to the city of New York.
 

Whei Zao

Wei Zhao took office as the 8th Rector of the University of Macau (UM) in 2008. He was the first Full Professor of Merit at UM and the principal scientist for the national project "973". He was Director of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in the USA, Director of the Computer and Network Systems Division at the US National Science Foundation, and Senior Associate Vice President for Research at Texas A&M University. He is also the holder of two U.S. patents and has published 300 articles in journals, scientific conferences, and book chapters, which have been cited more than 2,000 times.

2003

Serge Moscovici

He was born in Romania into a Jewish family, which moved frequently, and Moscovici lived for some time in Bucharest and Bessarbia.

Moscovici suffered anti-Semitic discrimination. During World War II, he was placed in a labour camp under Ion Antonescu and was released in 1944. During these years, he taught himself French and philosophy through reading the works of Baruch Spinoza and René Descartes.

Already during the Soviet regime, Moscovici was becoming more disillusioned with communism. The former communist militant began to help Zionists cross the border and, in 1948, he himself immigrated to France. In Paris, he began to study psychology.

In 1961, he finished his thesis, La psychanalyse, son image, son public, supervised by the psychoanalyst Daniel Lagache. Later, Moscovici dedicated himself to the study of epistemology and the history of the sciences under the guidance of the philosopher Alexandre Koyré. In the 60s, he was invited to teach at three renowned American universities. He was also a professor in Geneva.

He worked as director of the Laboratoire Européen de Psychologie Sociale (European Laboratory of Social Psychology), which he co-founded in 1975 in Paris. He was also a member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, the Légion d'honneur and the Russian Academy of Sciences.

1999

Immanuel Wallerstein

He holds a degree from Columbia University and a PhD from the University of York, and is also an Honorary Doctor of the University of Paris-Denis Diderot, the Free University of Brussels and the National Autonomous University of Mexico. A sociologist, he has published a vast body of work on social change in Africa and the world capitalist system.