Ana Paula da Costa Ribeiro

Ana Paula da Costa Ribeiro serves as Assistant Professor at IST-ID (Associação do Instituto Superior Técnico para a Investigação e Desenvolvimento) and Researcher at the Center for Structural Chemistry (CQE) of Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon. She holds a dual institutional presence through her role as Principal Investigator in the UT Austin Portugal Program, maintaining an office at UT Austin's Cockrell School of Engineering.

Her academic credentials include:

• PhD in Chemistry (2012), Faculty of Science, University of Lisbon
• M.Sc in Physical Chemistry, Specialization in Materials (2007)
• European Master in Theoretical Chemistry and Computational Modeling (2006), University of Perugia
• B.Sc in Chemistry (1998), Faculty of Science, University of Lisbon

Dr. Ribeiro's research pioneers sustainable catalytic processes through green chemistry principles, targeting industrial-scale applications such as acetic/adipic acid production and carbon dioxide conversion to fuels. Her methodology integrates homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysis with advanced materials including ionic liquids, nanomaterials, and supercritical fluids to optimize thermophysical properties and reaction efficiency. This interdisciplinary work bridges chemical engineering, materials science, and environmental chemistry to address critical challenges in sustainable manufacturing and carbon neutrality.

At the Center for Structural Chemistry, she leads experimental investigations into alternative catalytic pathways, emphasizing structural and thermal optimization of reaction systems. Her current projects under the UT Austin Portugal Program focus on cross-institutional collaboration in advanced computing and nanotechnologies for environmental applications.