Hello everyone!

The next session of PAPSpeakers – Promoting the Portuguese Talent in Boston is coming up, this time with Joana Lopes, PhD, and Luísa Soares de Brito, MBA, as speakers.

Date: March 12th
Time: 6:30 PM
Location: Francis Bitter Magnet Laboratory (MIT) NW14 Building, Room 1112 (166 Albany Street, 02139 Cambridge)
RSVP here: https://forms.gle/7PgcRPrzBMYn7Rxj7

The PAPSpeakers series aims to showcase the best and most innovative work that Portuguese researchers, academics, entrepreneurs, and other professionals are developing in the Boston area, in addition to being a space for PAPS members to share their academic and professional experiences, in order to generate collaborations, mentorship projects, and generally get to know each other better!

After each presentation, there will be a Q&A session, followed by open networking at the end. The event will feature hors d’oeuvres generously provided by the Consulate General of Portugal in Boston and coffee offered by Delta Cafés. We would also like to thank João Silva for his kindness in reserving the room at MIT.

Join us!

Biografia das oradoras:

– Joana Lopes, PhD
Senior Scientist, Blueprint | Sanofi
Joana Lopes is a drug discovery scientist specializing in rare monogenic diseases, with expertise in target validation, translational pharmacology, and team leadership. At Blueprint Medicines, she leads biology and multidisciplinary teams for discovery programs, applying molecular and cellular biology and in vivo models to elucidate the mechanism of action and advance therapeutic kinase targets toward the clinic. Previously, at Boston Children’s Hospital, she studied the genetic basis of rare skeletal disorders, developing disease models to investigate pathophysiology and therapeutic response. Joana holds a PhD in biomedical sciences from the University of Lisbon Medical School and, earlier in her career, founded Biobanco-IMM, where she created standardized frameworks to support translational biomedical
research.

–Luísa Soares de Brito, MBA
Associate Director, Product Cybersecurity
Luisa Soares de Brito is a business process expert specializing in product cybersecurity and currently serves as Associate Director of Product Security at Becton Dickinson. She leads the Process Excellence and Program Management Organization within the corporate Product Security Office, driving governance, operational maturity, and cross‑functional alignment across BD’s global product security initiatives. Skilled in preparing teams to meet software medical device cybersecurity and regulatory requirements and leading complex, multi‑stakeholder efforts that strengthen product security posture. Her background includes program management, stakeholder communication, and building collaborative, security‑focused communities across engineering, regulatory, and business functions. Before joining BD, Luísa held cybersecurity process and governance roles at Medtronic, and earlier in her career, she held customer success and marketing management positions at global organizations such as Vodafone and Li & Fung. A globetrotter, lived in Portugal-Lisbon, Japan-Tokyo, China-Hong Kong, Brazil-Sao Paulo, and currently resides in US-Boston.