Isabel Santos de Sousa, currently a PhD student at the Space Microbes Lab, was granted the “Pedro Nunes” Award for Best Iberian Master’s Thesis in Planetary Sciences & Exploration 2026!

https://spainportugal-eps.org/index.php/en/news-and-upcoming-events

• Master’s Thesis: ”Sustainable Space Habitats: Cyanobacterial Biomass as Feedstock for Fungal Biotechnology” 2025/2026
• Supervisors: Dr. Marta Cortesão & Dr. Catarina Magalhães
• Institution: Centro de Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto (CAUP), Instituto de Astrofísica e Ciências do Espaço (IA) & Instituto Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar (ICBAS)

These awards are named after historical astronomers from Spain and Portugal, who lived and worked in both countries, serving as role models of Iberian synergy and collaboration. Their astronomical and instrumental contributions played a key role in the maritime navigation era and enabled historical discoveries of planetary importance.