Luísa Margarida Martins is an Integrated Member (since 1992) of CQE - Centro de Química Estrutural - of IST. She is the coordinator of the thematic line SYNCat - Synthesis, Catalysis and Reactivity - and member of the Coordination Commission of this Centre.
She is also member of the Research Core Team and of the Executive Committee of the CATSUS - Catalysis and Sustainability PhD program.
Luísa's research focuses on the application of green chemistry principles to provide improved (cost-effective, energy-efficient, sustainable, and scalable) catalytic processes for the synthesis of large-scale commodities (e.g., acetic and adipic acids), the fixation of carbon dioxide (e.g., into methanol or carbonates), and biomass valorisation (e.g., into biopolymers).
Luísa is team leader in designing sustainable homogeneous and/or single-site heterogenous catalysts and combine them with unconventional synthetic strategies and computational studies. Her preferred catalysts are the C-scorpionate complexes. She is also very keen of molecular electrochemistry and electrocatalysis.
Research outcomes
- over 200 peer-reviewed papers: h index = 47 (WoS)
- 13 patents (WO, EP and PT)
- 1 book (Ed.)
- 15 invited book chapters
- over 400 conference presentations (over 70 invited oral communications)
Luísa is FRSC 
senior member of OE - Ordem dos Engenheiros,
Vice-president of Sociedade Portuguesa de Química,
Delegate of the Division of Green and Sustainable Chemistry of EuChemS
member of ACS - American Chemical Society
member of ISE - International Society of Electrochemistry,
and former President of the Portuguese Electrochemical Society (SPE).