Maria Helena Godinho

2024 – Elected President of the International Liquid Crystal Society.

2024 – Member of The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters

2023 - “The Lars Onsager Professorship 2023 and Medal” at Lars Onsager's Alma Mater, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway. 

2016- Invited overseas lecturer by the British Liquid Crystal Society UK. 

2019 -“Frederiks medal” (field of Liquid Crystals Chemistry) by the Russian LC Society “Sodruzhestvo.”

2016-2020- Vice-President of the International Liquid Crystal Society. 

 

Main scientific interests: Helena Godinho's research is dedicated to liquid crystalline systems, namely cellulose and cellulose-based materials. She is driven by their potential to form complex shapes that mimic natural designs and functions. Her work explores their applications in creating soft motors, electro-optical sensors, and photonic materials, offering a promising future for sustainable innovations. Her interests encompass both the theoretical and experimental aspects of cellulose, liquid crystals (LC), cellulose LC systems, and LC elastomers.

“Cellulose and chitin twisted structures: from nature to applications” Rafaela R. da Rosa, Susete N. Fernandes, Michel Mitov and Maria Helena Godinho, Advanced Functional Materials, 2304286, 2023 (DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202304286).

“Cellulose Nanocrystal Aqueous Colloidal Suspensions: Evidence of Density Inversion at the Isotropic- liquid Crystal Phase Transition” R.R. da Rosa, P.E.S. Silva, D.V. Saraiva, A. Kumar, A.P. Mendes de Sousa, P. Sebastião, S.N. Fernandes, M.H. Godinho, Advanced Materials, 2108227, 2022 (Editoŕs Choice and Celebrating Excellence in the Advanced Materials Family: Women in Materials Science and Hot Topic: Liquid Crystals, Advanced Optical Materials).

Liquid Crystals - New Perspectives (bilingual (English and French)), Edited by P. Pieranski and M.H. Godinho, 2021, ISTE-Wiley (Cristaux Liquides: Nouvelles Perspectives, 2021, ISTE-Wiley).

“When the Smallest Details Count” M.H. Godinho, Science, 369, 918, 2020.

“Spotting plants’ microfilament morphologies and nanostructures” A.P. Almeida, J. Canejo, U. Mur, S. Čopar, P.L. Almeida, S. Žumer, M.H. Godinho, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences U.S.A., PNAS, 116(27), 13188, 2019.

“Cellulose-based Biomimetics and Applications” A.P.C. Almeida, J.P. Canejo, S.N. Fernandes, C. Echeverria, P.L. Almeida and M.H. Godinho, Advanced Materials, 30(19) 1703655, 2018 

“Mind the microgap in iridescent cellulose nanocrystal films”, S.N. Fernandes, P.L. Almeida, N. Monge, L.E. Aguirre, D. Reis, C.L.P. de Oliveira, A.M.F. Neto, P. Pieranski, M.H. Godinho, Advanced Materials, 29(2), 1603560, 2017 (front cover). 

“Sensing surface morphology of biofibers by decorating spider silk and cellulosic filaments with nematic microdroplets”, Luis E Aguirre, Alexandre de Oliveira, David Seč, Simon Čopar, Pedro L Almeida, Miha Ravnik, M.H. Godinho, Slobodan Žumer, PNAS 113(5), 1174, 2016.