LC Silva graduated in Biochemistry in 2001 at the Faculty of Sciences, Universidade de Lisboa (UL), Portugal, and obtained her PhD degree in Chemistry (Molecular Biophysics) in 2006 at the Instituto Superior Técnico (IST-UL). She developed her post-doctoral project at the interface between molecular biophysics and biochemistry as a research fellow at the Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS), Israel and at the IST (2007-2009). In 2009, she was awarded a Ciência 2008 Research position to set her research team focused on Molecular & Cellular Biophysics at the Faculty of Pharmacy from the UL. She currently holds an Investigator FCT research position at the same institution. LC Silva has an interdisciplinary background in biochemistry and cell biology, quantitative photophysics and molecular biophysics. Her research is multidisciplinary and bridges membrane biophysics and cell biology. She is interested in understanding the role of membrane biophysical properties in cell function and pathology. Her research is focused on membrane lipids and their interplay in biological membranes, aiming at evaluating their role in membrane organization and function, and to provide the molecular tools to develop improved therapeutics.
2017 Habilitation in Pharmaceutical Sciences (Biochemistry), Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade de Lisboa
2006 PhD in Chemistry (Molecular Biophysics), Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade Técnica de Lisboa
2001 Graduation in Biochemistry, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa
EDUCATION
CURRENT & PREVIOUS POSITIONS
2020/ Assistant Professor with Habilitation, FF/ULisboa, Portugal
2017/ Head of the Bioimaging Unit, iMed.ULisboa (Research Institute for Medicines), FF/ULisboa, Portugal
2015/2020 Researcher “FCT Investigator 2014” (starting level), iMed.ULisboa, FF/ULisboa
2014/2015 Invited Assistant Professor, FF/ULisboa
2010/ Group Leader “Molecular and Cellular Biophysics”, iMed.ULisboa, FF/ULisboa
2009/2014 Researcher “Ciência 2008”, iMed.ULisboa, FF/ULisboa
2007/2009 Post-doctoral fellow, Dep Biological Chemistry, Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
2003/2006 PhD fellow, Centro Química Física Molecular (CQFM), IST-UTL
2001/2003 Graduate research fellow, Centro Química Física Molecular (CQFM), IST-UTL
2015/2020 FCT Investigator 2014 Research Grant, from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal
2009/2014 Ciência 2008 Research Grant, FCT, Portugal
2007/2009 Post-doctoral Fellowship, PIDDAC SFRH/BPD/30289/2006, FCT, Portugal
2006 Young Investigator Fellowship, International Society Neurochemistry
2006 Student Travel Award, Biophysical Society, USA
2005 FEBS Young Scientist Award, Federation of European Biochemical Societies
2003/2006 PhD fellowship, SFRH/BD/10029/2002, FCT, Portugal
2001/2003 Fellowship for graduate researchers, POCTI/1999/QUI/36458/2001, FCT, Portugal
2000/2001 Fellowship for undergraduate researchers, PRAXIS/P/BIO/12049/1998, FCT, Portugal
FELLOWSHIPS & AWARDS
RESEARCH GRANTS
2018/ PTDC/BIA-BFS/29448/2017, GD&PDBiophys: Exploring the biophysical link between Gaucher disease and Parkinson’s disease, from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal
2016/2019 PTDC/BBB-BQB/3710/2014, Atyp-SLs: Biophysical and biological properties of atypical sphingolipids implications to physiology and pathophysiology, FCT, Portugal
2013/2015 PTDC/BBB-BQB/0506/2012, Ceramide-Platforms: implication of membrane biophysical properties on ceramide biological outcome, FCT, Portugal
2011/2014 PTDC/QUI-BIQ/111411/2009 Ceramide and Glucosylceramide impact on membrane biophysical properties: from models of plasma- and lysosomal-membranes to the cell membrane, FCT, Portugal