Curriculum Vitae
PERSONAL DATA
Maria Luísa Sousa
PROFESSIONAL STATUS
Assistant Researcher
ACADEMIC AND SCIENTIFIC DEGREES
PhD in Territorial Engineering from the Instituto Superior Técnico of the University of Lisbon.
Doctoral thesis entitled: Seismic Risk in Mainland Portugal.
Master's Degree in Operational Research and Systems Engineering from the Instituto Superior Técnico of the University of Lisbon.
Thesis entitled: Probabilistic Models for the Evaluation of Seismic Hazard in Mainland Portugal.
Five-year degree in Geophysical Sciences from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon.
Thesis entitled: Historical Seismicity: Seismic Intensities, Isoseismals and Attenuation
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FUNCTIONS AND RELEVANT PUBLIC OFFICES
Research Officer, Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics Unit (NESDE) Structures Department (DE), LNEC.
From September 16, 2022.
Research / Technical Officer, Safety and Security of Buildings Unit, Space, Security and Migration Directorate of the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission in Ispra, Italy.
September 1, 2013 to August 31, 2016 and September 16, 2016 to September 15, 2022.
She has held various positions, from Research Trainee to Research Officer at the LNEC's Structures Department, in Units dedicated to the field of earthquake engineering.
September 1, 1989 to August 31, 2013.
Member of the European Centre for Urban Risks (CERU), elected to the Board of Directors of the Centre for the terms from 2013 to 2016 and 2016 to 2019, acting as Secretary.
Member of the Portuguese Seismic Engineering Society (SPES), elected to the Board of Directors of the Society for a four-year term from 1996 to 1999, acting as Treasurer, and for the period from 2000 to 2001, acting as Secretary.
MAIN AREAS OF RESEARCH/INTEREST
Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis
Exposure models of elements at risk
Seismic vulnerability assessment
Seismic loss modelling
Disaster risk reduction
Emergency planning and management
Adaptation of the built environment to climate change
European standards for construction
DEVELOPED ACTIVITY
Her work has focused on probabilistic seismic hazard analysis, exposure characterisation of elements at risk, seismic vulnerability assessment, earthquake damage and losses modelling, probabilistic seismic risk analysis and disaster risk reduction. She has participated in several national and European projects in these fields.
She took part in various projects and tasks aimed at providing the scientific and technological bases for the elaboration of Civil Protection Emergency Plans on seismic and tsunami risk in different regions of Portugal and other institutional support activities. She developed a seismic scenario simulator for emergency planning and management.
She participated in the activities of the Disaster Risk Management Knowledge Centre (DRMKC) of the European Commission's, co-authoring reports that provided the scientific basis and disseminated best practices for national risk assessments. She contributed to two flagship reports of the DRMKC series "Science for disaster risk management".
She contributed to activities in support to policies and standards for safe and sustainable construction, identifying research needs for climate change adaptation in the construction sector and providing feedback to policy makers in the European Commission's Directorates-General. She carried out activities to support the development of the Structural Eurocodes and was responsible for IT tools to support the implementation, monitoring and dissemination of these standards. She participated in working groups and subcommittees of the CEN Technical Committee, TC 250 - Structural Eurocodes. She took part in the activities of the working group of the Portuguese Technical Committee for Standardisation CT 115 - Structural Eurocodes, developing pre-normative studies leading to the preparation of the Portuguese National Annex to the NP EN1998-1: 2009, Design of structures for earthquake resistance - Part 1: General rules, seismic actions and rules for buildings.
She is the author of more than 250 publications, including scientific and technological papers, books and reports, advisory studies and documents for science communication and knowledge dissemination.