Born in Beja, passed through Sines and grew up in AlmodĂ´var. Two decades after leaving Alentejo to study in Coimbra and travel the world, won a research grant of nearly 2 million.
when there is 20 years left the peace of the village of Almodôvar, no Beja district, and headed to Coimbra and the University of the “City of Doctors”, Sérgio Domingos was far from one day becoming a renowned scientist, let alone winning a grant worth almost two million euros..
The news was known last day 10, when the University of Coimbra (UC) revealed that its researcher had won a European grant worth 1,9 million, awarded by the European Research Council (ERC). The “ERC Starting Grant” grants are aimed at early career researchers, enabling fellows to form working groups and develop projects in different scientific areas.
Son of an Alentejo couple, the natural father of Alcaria Ruiva (Mértola) and Vila Azedo's mother (Beja), was born in the maternity ward of Hospital José Joaquim Fernandes, in Beja, but, Sérgio a few days lived in the homeland, because the father went to work for Sines, and it was in this city that he lived until 4 year old. arlindo, his parent, went to work for the Neves-Corvo mines and the Domingos family went to Almodôvar, where the young man studied until the 12th grade and with 18 years went to UC to study Engineering Physics, where in addition to the degree he also did the master's degree.
Proud Sérgio Domingos remembers his youth in Almodôvar. “It was important to grow up in an environment with the feeling of freedom that the region conveys to us.. The passion for mathematics and physics was transmitted by my father and the first physics classes at the village school were decisive for choosing a course in Coimbra that had both areas”, revealed to Lidador News (LN) the scientist. Alongside research, the Alentejo has another passion, to music. “I play guitar and have been in several bands. For six years I divided myself between science and music”, recalls.
After completing the Master's, Sérgio had to make a choice, between “entering the job market or continuing to evolve scientifically and I applied for a scholarship at IFCT to go abroad”. Early 2009 go to amsterdam (Holland), where were you 4 years and 8 months, the time necessary to complete the doctorate and meet the one who is his wife and mother of his two children by 3 and 6 year old.
“To think about the future, I made a stop, I put my backpack on my back and traveled the world and that's how I made the decision: I will continue the investigation”, revealed. Then he contacted a group in Hamburg (Germany) who was researching in his area and during 6 years he jumped through several institutes working "post-doc" (postdoctoral).
Between children growing up in the Netherlands or Portugal, the couple decides to come and live in the homeland of Camões and in September 2020 Sérgio gets a contract 6 years of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), to work at the Physics Department of the University of Coimbra and this is where it all starts to reach the “scientific euromillions”.
“In Portugal there is no high-performance microwave spectroscopy laboratory and I knew I could be eligible.. It took me four months closed at home to do the project. I feel lucky”, adding that the funds will allow, for five years and more 4 or 5 collaborators “unravel the three-dimensional shapes of some key molecules in the field of molecular nanotechnology and understand their functional mechanics”, revealed to LN the investigator.
To 38 year old, after two decades of study and research Sérgio Domingos says he is a very happy Alentejo: “I found a middle ground between the wanderings of Alentejo and the stress of Northern Europe. It was a good start to life with a lot of tranquility”, ends.
Teixeira belt
(journalist)
