ORCID 0000-0002-5513-9240

Ciência ID: 8817-35B2-1B86

PROFESSIONAL SITUATION 

Senior Researcher

Head of the Estuaries and Coastal Zone Unit

ACADEMIC AND SCIENTIFIC DEGREES 

• 1998 – Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon
• 1989 – Degree in Civil Engineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Lisbon

FUNCTIONS AND RELEVANT PUBLIC OFFICES

• Head of the Estuaries and Coastal Zone Unit, LNEC (2012-present)
• Senior Researcher at LNEC (2024-present); Research Officer (2000-2024); Fellow Research Trainee and Ph.D. Researcher (1989-2000)
• Teaching Assistant, Instituto Superior Técnico (1988-1990)

AREAS OF RESEARCH / INTEREST

• Numerical modelling of estuarine and coastal processes
• Sediment dynamics and morphological evolution of coastal systems
• Experimental study of cohesive sediments
• Dredging and dredged material management
• Conservation and environmental management of coastal systems

RESEARCH AND PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITY 

• Participation in 19 research projects. Currently leading: Management, protection and rehabilitation of coastal systems (LNEC, 2024-2027). Currently participating: Climate-Adapt4EOSC (Horizon Europe, 2025-2028); Water4All (Horizon Europe, 2022-2031).
• Coordination or participation in 70 consultancy projects in Portugal, Africa and Macau, e.g. Erosion process at the Troia peninsula (2024); Monitoring of the dredging of the upper zone of the Óbidos lagoon (2022); Improvement of the maritime access to the Port of Aveiro (2021).
• Participation in specialised commissions, e.g. Sediment Working Group (Secretary of State for the Environment, 2015).
• Supervision of students: 1 Ph.D. (Sandra Costa, 2012-2016) and 3 M.Sc. (Ana Custódio, 2014-2016; Fábio Ribeiro, 2013-2014; Susana Ramos, 2011-2013).

ACADEMIC AWARDS

• Portuguese Water Resources Association Prize, awarded to the Ph.D. thesis ‘Mathematical modelling of hydrodynamic and water quality processes in the Tagus Estuary’ (1998/99).
• Young Engineer Innovation Prize, awarded by the Portuguese Order of Engineers (1992).

RELEVANT PUBLICATIONS

• Portela, L.I., 2024. Sand wave morphology and migration in the main channel of the outer Tagus estuary. Journal of Coastal Research SI 113: 387–391. https://doi.org/10.2112/JCR-SI113-076.1
• Portela, L.I., 2023. Evolução da cota de dragagem dos acessos marítimos aos portos de Portugal Continental. In: 11as Jornadas Portuguesas de Engenharia Costeira e Portuária. APDL, Leixões, 4 pp. https://pianc.pt/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Artigo-46.pdf
• Portela, L.I., 2022. Dragagens nos portos comerciais de Portugal Continental (1991-2020): contributo para uma síntese. In: 10as Jornadas Portuguesas de Engenharia Costeira e Portuária. APS, Sines, 9 pp. https://pianc.pt/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/63-Dragagens-nos-portos-comerciais-de-Portugal-continental-1991-2020.-Contributo-para-uma-si%CC%81ntese.pdf
• Portela, L.I., 2020. Evolução do sistema Bugio-Caparica entre 1980 e 2018. In: 6as Jornadas de Engenharia Hidrográfica. Instituto Hidrográfico, Lisboa, pp. 300–303. https://www.hidrografico.pt/recursos/files/jornadas_EH/JEH2020/Livro_Atas_6JEH_2020.pdf
• Portela, L.I., Custódio, A., Teixeira, A.T., 2016. Deposition in flowing water of fine sediments under different salinity conditions. Journal of Coastal Research SI 75: 118–122. https://doi.org/10.2112/SI75-024.1
• Portela, L.I., Ramos, S., Teixeira, A.T., 2013. Effect of salinity on the settling velocity of fine sediments of a harbour basin. Journal of Coastal Research SI 65: 1188–1193. https://doi.org/10.2112/SI65-201.1
• Portela, L.I., 2012. Evolução morfológica recente da zona lagunar da Ria Formosa. In: 2as Jornadas de Engenharia Hidrográfica. Instituto Hidrográfico, Lisboa, pp. 291–294. https://www.hidrografico.pt/recursos/files/20120620_Atas2jornadas_EH.pdf
• Portela, L.I., 2008. Sediment transport and morphodynamics of the Douro River estuary. Geo-Marine Letters 28: 77–86. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-007-0091-1
• Portela, L.I., 2006. Sediment delivery from the Guadiana estuary to the coastal ocean. Journal of Coastal Research SI 39: 1819–1823. https://www.jstor.org/stable/25743075