The former Rector of U.Porto and former Director of FEUP, Sebastião Feyo de Azevedo, will be awarded the CIBIQ Gold Medal 2025, the highest distinction awarded by the Organisation of Ibero-American Congresses of Chemical Engineering (CIBIQ). The ceremony is scheduled for September 8 in Lisbon, on the occasion of the 3rd Congress.
The CIBIQ Gold Medal is intended to recognise excellence in a professional career in academia or industry, a significant contribution to the efforts of national associations or societies, federations, confederations and/or worldwide organisations in defence of the profession, as well as the social projection of Chemical Engineering.
Sebastião Feyo de Azevedo considers that ‘it is a sweet pleasure and an honour to receive this distinction from my Ibero-American peers, under the illusion that, as well as obviously being pleasant for me, it can be an incentive for the younger ones and useful for consolidating the prestige of Portuguese engineering, Portuguese institutions, especially our Faculty and our Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, on an international level’.
For the Director of FEUP, Rui Calçada, honouring Sebastião Feyo de Azevedo is a fair recognition of his legacy and impact on the academic and scientific community. ‘It is more than deserved recognition for his remarkable career and his tireless dedication to the advancement of Chemical Engineering. This award reflects his vast contribution to academia, the profession and the promotion of Chemical Engineering in Ibero-America. For FEUP, it is a great source of pride to see the excellence of one of its Emeritus Professors recognised at international level.’
The award ceremony will take place on September 8th, 2025, in Lisbon, as part of the 15th European Congress of Chemical Engineering (ECCE 15), the 8th European Congress of Applied Biotechnology (ECAB 8) and the aforementioned 3rd Ibero-American Congress of Chemical Engineering (CIBIQ 2025).
About Sebastião Feyo de Azevedo
With a degree in Chemical Engineering from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (1973) and a PhD in the same field from the University of Wales (1982), Sebastião Feyo de Azevedo spent his entire teaching career at FEUP until he became Rector of the University of Porto, a position he held between 2014 and 2018.
As part of his professional activity as a professor at FEUP, he was National Director of the Institute of Systems and Robotics (1997-2004), Director of the chemical engineering department (2001-2010), Director of bachelor’s and master’s degree courses (2001-2007), Director of the Doctoral Programme (2011-2014) and Director of the Faculty (2010-2014). Currently retired from teaching, he remains connected to FEUP as a member of the Process, Environmental, Biotechnology and Energy Engineering Laboratory (LEPABE), a research unit that belongs to ALiCE.
In parallel with his academic activity, he has held important positions in various academic, scientific and professional organisations at national and international level, including National Coordinator of the Bologna Process and Portugal’s representative on the BFUG-Bologna Follow Up Group.
After completing his term as Rector of U.Porto, he held the same position at Universidade Portucalense – Infante D. Henrique between 2019 and 2021, the year in which he took over the presidency of the Porto Municipal Assembly. In 2022, he took office as the first President of the Civic Association Círculo de Estudos do Centralismo, and that same year he also became President of the Academy of Engineering.
He also collaborates in social and citizenship causes: he is currently President of the General Assembly of the Portuguese League Against Cancer – Northern Regional Group; Coordinator of the Citizenship Forum of the Porto District, a civic movement supporting the activities of EAPN – European Anti-Poverty Network; and Coordinator of the Advisory Group of SEDES-Porto, a national association for the Economic and Social Development of Portugal.
Throughout his career he has received various national and international honours. These include the George and Eleanore Meade Annual Award, awarded by SIT-Sugar Industry Technologists Inc. (1994); the Dieter Behrens Medal 2013, the highest award of the European Federation of Chemical Engineering in the area of Higher Education; the Gold Medal of the City and the title of Honorary Citizen of Paredes; the Medal of Professional Merit, awarded by the Municipality of Vila Nova de Gaia.
In 2018, he received the Gold Medal of the Order of Engineers, an Honorary Doctorate from Tbilisi State University (Georgia) and was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Public Instruction by the President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
About the CIBIQ
The Ibero-American Congress of Chemical Engineering was born with the aim and spirit of building bridges in Chemical Engineering in the Ibero-American Community, in favour of society. A space for enrichment with the experience of various countries and cultures, an experience that has already become a benchmark for its community.
The conferences bring together chemical and process engineers, technicians, bioprocess experts, chemists, materials scientists and related disciplines, with a focus on applied research and development.
The following are part of its generation: Asociación Nacional de Químicos e Ingenieros Químicos de España (ANQUE), Colégio Nacional de Engenharia Química e Biológica da Ordem dos Engenheiros de Portugal, Confederación Interamericana de Ingeniería Química (CIIQ), Asociación Argentina de Ingenieros Químicos (AAIQ), Asociación Colombiana de Ingeniería Química (ACIQ), Consejo Profesional de Ingeniería Química de Colombia (CPIQC), Colegio de Ingenieros Químicos de Guatemala (CIQG), Federación de Ingenieros Químicos del Perú (FIQP), Associação Brasileira de Engenharia Química (ABEQ), Colegio Regional de Ingenieros Químicos del Litoral Ecuador, Instituto Mexicano de Ingenieros Químicos (IMIQ), Mexico and the Academia Mexicana de Investigación y Docencia en Ingeniería Química (AMIDIQ).