Carlos Penha Gonçalves scientific research work spans immunology, disease genetics, and public health. Holding a Doctorate in Immunology from Umeå University, Sweden (1999), and having acquired his titles of Mestre in Molecular Biology from Universidade Nova de Lisboa (1992) and Veterinary Medicine degree from Universidade de Lisboa (1984), he has obtained the habilitation in Immunogenetics at the at Universidade de Lisboa in 2007.
He has served as Principal Investigator at the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, where he led the Genomics Unit from 2003 to 2018. His research investigates disease mechanisms in a variety of contexts, including malaria, autoimmune diseases and diabetes. Among his contributions are over a hundred peer‐reviewed publications, supervision of multiple PhD and postdoctoral researchers, and leadership in major national scientific entities.
In 2020, he joined Portugal’s COVID-19 Vaccination Plan Task Force, taking responsibility for the Norms and Simplification nucleus, contributing to the public health response to the pandemic. Currently he is a researcher at the Isntituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical in Lisbon and an advisor to the direction of INFARMED, the Poruguese medicines authority. Penha Gonçalves is recognized for bridging rigorous academic research with applied public health, combining roles in military veterinary service, scientific leadership, and policy‐oriented health strategy.
