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The 2024 HOPTEC Annual Symposium successfully brought together a diverse audience of students, researchers, and curious attendees, with 75 attendees participating in person and 150 tuning in online by the time of this article. Held at Técnico Lisboa on December 18th, the event offered a dynamic agenda designed to celebrate and advance the collaboration between Técnico and Johns Hopkins University in the field of engineering applied to life sciences.

The event featured a presentation by the HOPTEC Ambassadors 2024, two students who had the unique opportunity to conduct research at Johns Hopkins as part of their master’s theses, under the scope of the program. These students shared their findings and experiences from their six-month research period in the United States.

During the session “Engineering New Paths to Health Solutions”, Professor Cláudia Lobato da Silva discussed her advancements in cell-based therapies, while Leonor Guedes da Silva, Data & AI Lead at DSM-Firmenich and the first Técnico student to establish contact with Johns Hopkins, reflected on her path and on the potential of technology and engineering to tackle challenges in the life sciences sector.

The session “Computation Tools for Precision Medicine”, featured two keynote speakers, Professor Arlindo Oliveira (Full Professor at Técnico and President of INESC) and Professor Denis Wirtz (Vice-Provost for Research at Johns Hopkins), who explored the transformative role of computational methods in medicine, highlighting the interdisciplinary approach of the program.

A discussion panel brought together notable personalities to explore ways to strengthen and expand the partnership between Técnico and Johns Hopkins. The panel included Ashley Kiemen (Assistant Professor at Johns Hopkins), Denis Wirtz, Zita Martins (Vice-President for International Affairs at Técnico), and Cláudia Lobato da Silva. The panel was joined by Michael Baum, Executive Board Member of FLAD, recognising the essential support of institutions like FLAD as promoters of high-value initiatives in the international education landscape. Their collective insights highlighted the program’s impact and set the stage for future collaborations.

The Symposium celebrated academic excellence with a Poster Competition, awarding three outstanding participants, and announced the winners of the Grant Competition, a joint team of researchers from Técnico and Johns Hopkins who will have their joint research project funded. The HOPTEC Scholars 2025 were also revealed, continuing the program’s intent to foster international research opportunities.

Check the awardees list:

This successful event reinforced HOPTEC’s mission to advance bioengineering innovation and build enduring collaborations. Stay tuned for future initiatives and opportunities to get involved with HOPTEC and be part of this dynamic community.