Mónica Bettencourt-Dias

Cell Cycle Regulation Lab
Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência
Rua da Quinta Grande, 6
P-2780-156 Oeiras, Portugal
e-mail: mdias@igc.gulbenkian.pt
Telephone: +351 214407925
Fax: +351 214407970
http://sites.igc.gulbenkian.pt/ccr/
Mónica Bettencourt-Dias
Personal
Information
Experience &
Research
Activities
Date of Birth:18 April 1973 Nationality: Portuguese
Oct 2006- Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência Oeiras, PT
Principal Investigator- Cell Cycle Regulation Lab
See for more detail: http://sites.igc.gulbenkian.pt/ccr/
§� Research Focus: Centrioles are essential for the formation of several
microtubule (MT)-organizing structures including centrosomes, cilia and
flagella. In the centrosome, two centrioles associate with the pericentriolar
matrix (PCM), constituting the primary microtubule organizing centre in animal
cells. In interphase or quiescent ciliated cells, at least one centriole, called
basal-body, is tethered to the membrane, where it grows the axoneme, the
MT-based structure of cilia and flagella. Abnormalities in centrosome and cilia
structure and number have been observed in a variety of human diseases,
including cancer. Our research questions are: How are centrioles formed?
How did centrioles evolve? How is centriole biogenesis coordinated with cell
cycle progression so that only 1 centrosome is formed in each cycle? What is
the physiological function of centrioles? How are cilia formed?
§� Research Approach: Integrated approach combining studies in human normal
and transformed cells, tissue biopsies, Drosophila, Xenopus extracts, fission
yeast, bioinformatics and mathematical modeling.
Jan 2002-Sep 2006 University of Cambridge Cambridge, UK
Research Associate- Cell Cycle Genetics Group headed by Prof. David Glover
Position funded by Cancer Research UK (CRUK).
Education Oct 2002-Dec 2004 Birkbeck College London, UK
Diploma in Science Communication
This course combined practice in communication skills and work on media
production within an academic study of science communication.
Oct 1997-Dec 2001 University College London London, UK
PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Supervised by Jeremy Brockes. I investigated the cellular and molecular
mechanisms underlying regeneration in salamanders. Thesis on- “Plasticity of
the Differentiated State in Adult Newt Cardiomyocytes”. Funded by Gulbenkian
(FCG) and the Portuguese Government (FCT).
Oct 1996-Oct 1997 Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência Oeiras, PT
Gulbenkian PhD Programe in Biology & Medicine
PhD programme including one year of post-graduation courses on several areas
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Publications in
Refereed
Journals
of biology taught by renowned international scientists in each research field.
Oct 1991-Oct 1996 FCUL Lisboa, PT
5 year degree in Biochemistry
Final classification 18/20.
Research performed at ITQB (Oeiras) with Prof. Helena Santos & University of
Konstanz (Germany) with Prof. Winfried Boos.
• Carvalho-Santos Z, Azimzadeh J, Pereira-Leal JB, Bettencourt-Dias M. Evolution:
Tracing the origins of centrioles, cilia, and flagella. J Cell Biol. 2011 Jul
25;194(2):165-75.
• Bettencourt-Dias M, Hildebrandt F, Pellman D, Woods G, Godinho SA. Centrosomes
and cilia in human disease. Trends Genet. 2011 Aug;27(8):307-15.
• Dzhindzhev NS, Yu QD, Weiskopf K, Tzolovsky G, Cunha-Ferreira I, Riparbelli M,
Rodrigues-Martins A, Bettencourt-Dias M, Callaini G, Glover DM. (2010) Asterless is a
scaffold for the onset of centriole assembly. Nature. 2010 Oct 7;467(7316):714-8.
• Otto EA, Hurd TW, Airik R, Chaki M, Zhou W, Stoetzel C, Patil SB, Levy S, Ghosh AK,
Murga-Zamalloa CA, van Reeuwijk J, Letteboer SJ, Sang L, Giles RH, Liu Q, Coene
KL, Estrada-Cuzcano A, Collin RW, McLaughlin HM, Held S, Kasanuki JM,
Ramaswami G, Conte J, Lopez I, Washburn J, Macdonald J, Hu J, Yamashita Y,
Maher ER, Guay-Woodford LM, Neumann HP, Obermller N, Koenekoop RK,
Bergmann C, Bei X, Lewis RA, Katsanis N, Lopes V, Williams DS, Lyons RH, Dang
CV, Brito DA, Dias MB, Zhang X, Cavalcoli JD, Nrnberg G, Nrnberg P, Pierce EA,
Jackson PK, Antignac C, Saunier S, Roepman R, Dollfus H, Khanna H, Hildebrandt F.
(2010) Candidate exome capture identifies mutation of SDCCAG8 as the cause of a
retinal-renal ciliopathy.Nat Genet. 2010 Oct;42(10):840-50.
• Carvalho-Santos Z, Machado P, Branco P, Tavares-Cadete F, Rodrigues-Martins A,
Pereira-Leal JB, Bettencourt-Dias M. Stepwise evolution of the centriole-assembly
pathway. J Cell Sci. 2010 May 1;123(Pt 9):1414-26.
Using computational and experimental studies we proposed that a conserved group of
proteins explains the conservation of centriole architecture, and that taxon and tissuespecific
molecular innovations, gained through emergence, or duplication and
divergence, play important roles in coordinating centriole biogenesis to different cellular
contexts. This work contextualises the biogenesis and functions of the centriole structure,
providing us with a conceptual, evolutionary framework, and suggesting strategies that
we are now using to identify novel players in those processes.
• Debec A, Sullivan W, Bettencourt-Dias M. Centrioles: active players or passengers
during mitosis? Cell Mol Life Sci. 2010 Mar 19.
• Kuriyama R, Bettencourt-Dias M, Hoffmann I, Arnold M, Sandvig L. Gamma-tubulincontaining
abnormal centrioles are induced by insufficient Plk4 in human HCT116
colorectal cancer cells. J Cell Sci. 2009 Jun 15;122:2014-23.
• Cunha-Ferreira I, Bento I, Bettencourt-Dias M. From Zero to Many: Control of
Centriole Number in Development and Disease. Traffic. 2009¸10(5):482-98
• Bettencourt-Dias and Glover. SnapShot: centriole biogenesis. Cell. 2009
Jan 9;136(1):188-188.e1.
• Cunha-Ferreira I, Rodrigues-Martins A, Bento I, Riparbelli M, Zhang W, Laue
E, Callaini G, Glover DM, Bettencourt-Dias M. The SCF/Slimb Ubiquitin
Ligase Limits Centrosome Amplification through Degradation of SAK/PLK4.
Curr Biol. 2009 Jan 13;19(1):43-9.
We show that centrosome amplification is normally inhibited by degradation of SAK/PK4
degradation, mediated by the SCF/Slimb ubiquitin ligase. This complex physically
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interacts with SAK/PLK4, and in its absence, SAK/PLK4 accumulates, leading to the
striking formation of multiple daughter centrioles surrounding each mother. This
interaction is mediated via a conserved Slimb binding motif in SAK/PLK4, mutations of
which leads to centrosome amplification. This regulation is likely to be conserved,
because knockout of the ortholog of Slimb, beta-Trcp1 in mice, also leads to centrosome
amplification. Because the SCF/beta-Trcp complex plays an important role in cell-cycle
progression, our results lead to new understanding of the control of centrosome number
and how it may go awry in human disease.
• Rodrigues-Martins A, Riparbelli M, Callaini G, Glover D and Bettencourt-Dias
M. From centriole biogenesis to cellular function: centrioles are essential for
cell division at critical developmental stages. Cell Cycle. 2008. Jan;7(1):11-
6.
The identification of mutants impaired in centriole biogenesis has permitted the study of
the physiological consequences of their absence in the whole organism. In Drosophila,
centrioles are not necessary for somatic cell divisions. We showed here that centrioles
are needed for proper male meiosis and early embryonic divisions. These results show
diversity in the need for centrioles in cell division. This suggests that tissue specific
constraints selected for different contributions of centrosome-independent and dependent
mechanisms in spindle function. This heterogeneity should be taken into account both in
reaching an understanding of spindle function and when designing drugs that target cell
division.
• Mónica Bettencourt-Dias & Zita Carvalho-Santos (2008) The double life of
centrioles: CP110 hits the spotlight, Trends in Cell Biology, Research
Focus, Jan;18(1):8-11.
• A Rodrigues-Martins, M Riparbelli, G Callaini, DM Glover and M Bettencourt-
Dias (2007) Revisiting the role of the mother centriole in centriole duplication,
Science, May 18;316(5827):1046-50.
Recommended by Faculty of 1000 Biology:
http://www.f1000biology.com/article/id/1086061/evaluation
We showed that overexpression of SAK/PLK4, a conserved kinase, is sufficient to make
centrioles de novo, suggesting centriole biogenesis is a template-free self-assembly
process locally triggered by SAK/PLK4. This suggested the mother centriole is not a
bona-fide “template” but a platform for regulatory molecules in centriole biogenesis,
hence catalyzing it. Implications for Biomedicine: misregulation of molecules involved in
centriole duplication may be sufficient to generate centrosome abnormalities observed in
cancer. Those molecules may be used in the diagnostic, prognostic and perhaps as
targets for drugs in cancer treatment.
§� M Bettencourt-Dias and DM Glover (2007), Centrosome Biogenesis And
Function, Nature Reviews in Molecular and Cellular Biology,
Jun;8(6):451-63.
§� A Rodrigues-Martins*, M Bettencourt-Dias*, M Riparbelli*, C Ferreira, I
Ferreira, G Callaini & DM Glover (2007). DSAS-6 organizes a tube-like
centriole precursor and its absence suggests modularity in centriole
assembly. Curr Biol . Sep 4;17(17):1465-72.
Our work points to the universality of the role of SAS-6 and of a tube-like scaffold in
centriole assembly. Additionally, loss of function and overexpression of Drosophila SAS-
6, highlights a new concept in centriole biology: that its assembly is modular. Implications
for Biomedicine: High levels of DSAS-6 trigger the formation of supernumerary abnormal
centrosomes, a condition existent in cancer, alerting for negative outcomes of
misregulation of SAS-6.
§� M Bettencourt-Dias, A Rodrigues-Martins, L Carpenter, M Riparbelli, L
Lehmann, MK Gatt, N Carmo, F Balloux, G Callaini & DM Glover (2005)
SAK/PLK4 Is Required for Centriole Duplication and Flagella Development,
Curr Biol. 15, 2199-207.
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Book Chapters
Fellowships,
individual awards
& grants
We showed in flies and humans that SAK/PLK4, a kinase implicated in tumourigenesis, is
essential for centriole biogenesis. We also showed that flies can develop with few
centrioles. While centrosomes may be dispensable for many cell divisions, centrioles are
essential in their dual nature as basal bodies in the formation of cilia and flagella.
Implications for Biomedicine: This & simultaneous work from Nigg´s lab first pointed out
the primary function of SAK,/PLK4 a kinase known to be involved in cancer.
§� M Bettencourt-Dias, R Giet, R Sinka, A Mazumdar, WG Lock, F Balloux, PJ
Zafiropoulos, S Yamaguchi, S Winter, RW Carthew, M Cooper, D Jones, L
Frenz & DM Glover (2004) Genome-wide survey of protein kinases required
for cell cycle progression, Nature. 432, 980-7.
Selected as a MUST READ paper by Faculty of 1000 Biology:
http://www.facultyof1000.com/article/15616552/evaluation
We quantitatively screened by RNAi all Drosophila protein kinases for a cell cycle
function. Amongst a total of 80 positives we identified several novel enzymes and new
cell cycle functions for kinases involved in developmental processes, providing new
perspectives on cell proliferation. Implications for Biomedicine: Since then, many of those
kinases have been further studied and shown to be involved in cell cycle progression and
to be misregulated in cancer.
§� M Bettencourt-Dias, S Mittnacht & JP Brockes (2003) Heterogeneous
proliferative potential in regenerative adult newt cardiomyocytes, J Cell Sci.
116, 4001-9.
Salamanders are able to regenerate several parts of their body, such as limbs, tail and
heart. We discovered that a high proportion of the muscle cells in the adult newt heart are
able to proliferate, in contrast to their mammalian counterparts. Implications for
Biomedicine: We showed that the signaling pathway leading to cell cycle entry in newt
cardiomyocytes is conserved in mammals, presenting an interesting alternative to the
familiar perspective for mammalian regeneration based on stem cells.
• Rodrigues-Martins, Machado, Callaini, Bettencourt-Dias (2010)
Microscopy methods for the study of centriole biogenesis and function in
Drosophila. Methods Cell Biol.97:223-42.
•M Bettencourt-Dias & G. Goshima, (2009) RNAi in Drosophila S2 Cells As
A Tool For Studying Cell Cycle Progression. In Mitosis: Methods in
Molecular Biology series, Edited by A McAinsh. Humana Press. Methods
Mol Biol. 545:39-62.
• M Bettencourt-Dias, R Sinka, L Frenz and DM Glover (2004) RNAi in
Drosophila cell cultures. In Gene Silencing by RNA Interference:
Technology and Application, Ed. Sohail M. CRC Press. pp.147-165
§� 2011-2013-“Microtubule Regulation in Centriole Biogenesis
Mechanisms”, PTDC/BIA-BCM/112736/2009, FCT
§� 2011-2016- ERC Grant- Control of Centriole Structure and Number
§� 2010-2013 Harvard Medical School-FCT Programme (funded by the
Portuguese Agency for Funding Science and Technology-FCT)- I am the
coordinator of a collaborative grant with the laboratories of José Pereira-
Leal (Computational Genomics Laboratory @ IGC); Paula Chaves
(Pathology laboratory @ Lisbon Cancer Institute- IPO) ; David Pellman
(Danna Farber- Harvard Medical School) ; Max Loda (Pathology
Laboratory- Danna Farber- Harvard Medical School). Title - Role of
Centrosome and Ploidy Changes in Tumor progression (Barrett
Esophagus)-
§� 2010-2013 “Regulation of Cilia and Flagella Biogenesis”, PTDC/BIA-
BCM/105602/2008, FCT
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§� 2010-2013 “Cellular and Developmental Mechanisms Controlling
Centrosome Number”,PTDC/SAU-OBD/105616/2008, FCT
§� 2009- Membership of the EMBO Young Investigator Programme.
§� 2009-2012 Schlumberger Grant – Funding of a Postdoctoral salary to
study centriole biogenesis.
§� 2007-EMBO Installation Grant.
§� 2007-Eppendorf European Young Investigator Award- Annual award
given to a European Biomedical researcher who is less than 35 years old.
§� 2007- Seeds of Science Award- Annual award given to researchers or
science communicators by a Portuguese Science website (Ciência Hoje)
§� 2007- Prémio Metro/RadioClube Português- Annual award given by the
media and elected by the lay public to a Portuguese Researcher
§� 2007-Crioestaminal award- Annual award given by a Biotech Company
to a Portuguese Research project in Biomedical sciences.
§� 2007-Pfizer award for Basic research- Pfizer annual award for the
Portuguese life sciences.
§� 2007-Bolsas-Professor Doutor António Xavier- Installation Grants for
Research Group Leaders by the Oeiras City Council.
§� 2007-2010-“Regulation Of Centriole Biogenesis And Function: An
Integrative Approach PTDC/BIA-BCM/73195/2006, FCT. Grant from the
Portuguese Government Funding Body for Science and Technology.
§� 2007-2010-“Regulation of the tumorigenesis-related kinase SAK/PLK4”,
PTDC/SAU OBD/73194/2006, FCT. Grant from the Portuguese
Government Funding Body for Science and Technology.
§� 2006-2008-Royal Society International Joint Projects 2006/R2–Grant
for traveling; to foster a joint project between Prof. David Glover’s
laboratory (U. Cambridge) and mine.
§� 2006-Convénio Grices-British Council. Grant for Seminars on
Genomics at IGC.
§� 2004-Co-author of CRT grant (Cancer Research Technologies)
“Validation of cell cycle associated kinases as targets for pharmaceutical
intervention for the treatment of cancer”.
§� 2004-European Comission Grant for the “European Science
Communication Workshops Project”, a network of 17 institutions in
Europe, under the Framework 6, Science and Society Programme.
§� 1997-2001-PhD fellowship from PRAXIS XXI, FCT, Portugal
§� 1996-1997-Fellowship from FCG and PRAXIS XXI, FCT, Portugal
§� 1995-1996-Fellowship from PRODEP, Portugal
§� 1992-Student Achievement Prize, FCUL, PT
§� 1996-A variety of grants and individual awards for attending meetings,
during the last ten years.
Patents 2003-Co-author of patent application, filed by Cancer Research
Technologies identifying novel cell cycle functions of 80 Drosophila kinases
and the use of their human counterparts in the diagnostic and treatment of
proliferative disease; GB Priority Application 12th December 2003:
0328928.7; PCT-Application PCT/GB2004/005218; WO 2005/056802
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Supervision
Thesis Argued
-PhD Students:
Filipe Leal (started June 2008); Inês Bento (started October 2008)
Inês Cunha-Ferreira (started October 2007-defended December 2011)
Zita Carvalho-Santos (started Oct 2006-defended November 2010)
Ana Rodrigues-Martins (started October 2005-defended August 2009)
-Master Students:
Francisco Freixo (started October 2008-defended October 2009)
Paulo Duarte (started October 2009- defended December 2010)
-Undergraduates:
Inês Martins, Joana Pinto Borrego, Neuza Matias, Jorge Beira
-Technicians:
Pedro Machado, Pedro Branco
-Research assistants:
Claudia Ferreira
-Postdoctoral fellows:
Daniela Brito, Susana Montenegro-Gouveia, Adan Guerrero, Swadhin Jana,
Claudia Bicho
-Lab Manager:
Mariana Faria
-PhD:
Swadhin Jana (TIFR, Mumbai, 2011), Carolina Perdigoto (FMUL, 2011), João
Gnçalves (FCUL, 2010), Sara Pereira (FMUP, 2009), Claudia Lopes (University
of Cambridge, 2009),
-Masters:
-Ana Brandão (FCUL, 2011), Joana Lima (FCUL, 2010), Andrea Marques
(FCT, Coimbra, 2009), Jorge Beira (IST, 2009), Catarina Samora (FCUL,
2007).
Representative •12/2011 Genes and Cancer Meeting, Warwick, UK
Oral
•11/2011 IRB PhD student Symposia in Barcelona
Communications •10/2011 Centrosome and SPB Conference in Barcelona
•9/2011 Co-organising and teaching at EMBO YIP course
•9/2011 European Drosophila Research Conference in Lisbon
•8/2011 GRC Motile & Contractile Systems at Colby-Sawyer College in New
London, New Hampshire (US)
•7/2011 Clare Hall (CRUK Institute) London, UK
•6/2011 FEBS/DGZ workshop in Potsdam "The spider's web: how
microtubules organize cellular space"
•6/2011 LMCB (London), UK
•4/2011 Annual Helsinki Biomedical Graduate School (HBGS) Student
Council Symposium on “Cell cycle and Proliferation”, Helsinki, Finland.
•3/2011 Nordic Cilia Meeting (Denmark)
•3/2011 University of Geneva
•3/2011 ETH (Zurique)
•2/2011 Intitut de Genetique Humaine, Montpellier
•1/2011 CABD (Seville)
•12/2010 University of Pittsburgh (US)
•11/2010 EMBC meeting (EMBO, Heidelberg)
•11/2010 Centrosome Conference in Baeza (Spain)
•09/2010 Seminar & Organiser of Young Investigator PhD Course, EMBO
(Heidelberg),
•09/2010 Institut de Genetique et Developement de Rennes, Universite de
Rennes, France
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•6/2010- Curie Developmental Biology Institute, Paris
•6/2010- Biozentrum (2nd June), Basel
•2/2010, Sloan Kettering Institute, NY “Control of Centrosome Biogenesis”
•2/2010, Keystone Meeting on Cilia, Monterrey, California, Invited speaker.
“Evolution of Centriole Assembly “
•12/2009, IRIC ,Montreal (Canada), “Control of Centrosome Biogenesis”
•12/2009, American Society For Cell Biology Meeting (San Diego, USA),
Talk and co-chairing of Minisymposia on Cilia and Centrosomes. “Evolution of
Centriole Assembly”
•10/2009 Seminar, London Cancer Institute, “Control of Centrosome
Biogenesis”
•9/2009 Seminar at Young Investigator PhD Course, EMBO (Heidelberg),
“Cell Division”
•7/2009 Seminar, IRB (Barcelona, Spain), “Centriole Biogenesis and
Evolution”
•6/2009 Seminar, Institute of Zoology, University of Zurich, Switzerland,
“Centriole Biogenesis and Ebolution”
•5/2009-HBIGS Summer school 2009 on Cell cycle regulation, Germany
“Centriole Biogenesis & Evolution”
•5/2009 YIP Meeting, Istambul, Turkey, “Control of Centriole Biogenesis”
•4/2009 MPI-CBG-Dresden PhD Retreat, “Centriole Biogenesis & Evolution”
•4/2009Seminar in CNIO-Madrid (Spain); “Control of Centriole Biogenesis”
•27-2-2008 University of Siena-Italy “Centriole Biogenesis and Evolution”
•22/2-27/2 2008 El Ciocco-Italy- Gordon Conference on Mucus, Cilia and
Mucus-Ciliary Interactions Invited speaker “Centriole Biogenesis”
•12/2008 Stanford- USA- “The Control of Centrosome Biogenesis”
•10/2008-VII CRG Annual Symposium“Mechanims Regulating Cell Growth
and Division” Organizers: Vivek Malhotra, Isabelle Vernos, Hernan Lopez-
Schier-, Invited speaker. “Centrosome Biogenesis”
•24-27/9 2008 EMBO workshop - Polo like kinases: from the fly to the
clinic 20 years onwards, Porto, Portugal, “SAK/PLK4 And The Control Of
Centriole Biogenesis” (session chaired by me)
•9/2008, 1st EMBO Conference on Centrosomes and Spindle Pole Bodies,
EMBL Heidelberg, Invited speaker. “The Control of Centrosome Number”
•30/8- 2/9 ELSO 2008, Nice, “The Control of Centrosome Number” (session
chaired by me)
•21-23/8 EPFL Life Science Symposium 2008, Cancer and the Cell Cycle,
Invited speaker.”Keeping Centrosome Number Under Control”
•7/2008 VIII Workshop on Cell and Developmental Biology of
Drosophila, Balneari Prats, Spain, Invited speaker. “Experimenting with
Evo-Cell, what can evolution tell us about cellular structures?”
•6/2008 Department of Biochemistry, Oxford, UK, “Controlling centriole
architecture and number”
•5/2008 Talk at School of Life Sciences, Dundee, UK “Right Time, Right
Place and Only Once: the Control of Centrosome Number”
•12/2007- Albany, Wadsworth Center- USA- “Right Time, Right Place and
only once, control of centriole biogenesis”
•08/2007- Harvard Medical School- USA- “Self-assembly and modularity in
centriole assembly”
•08/2007-Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute, Toronto, Canada “Right
Time, Right Place and Only Once: The Control of Centriole Birth”
•6/2007-Centre de Recherches de Biochimie Macromoléculaire,
Montpellier, France, “Self-assembly and modularity in centriole assembly”
•12/2006-NICHD, NIH, USA, “Making new centrosomes with and without a
template”
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Representative
Sessions Chaired
at International
Meetings
Selected Honors,
Boards,
Committees, and
other
Professional
Services
Outreach
Activities
•8/2006-University of Bayreuth, Germany, “Dissecting the function of SAK
kinase in templated and de novo centriole assembly”
•8/2006-Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Development,
University of Minnesota, USA, 1-8-06SAKing the centrosome; SAK kinase
and the centrosome cycle,
•4/2005-BSCB &BSDB joint Spring meeting, Warwick, UK, “Genome wide
survey of protein kinases required for cell cycle progression”
•9/2004-Sixth International Workshop on Chromosome Segregation and
Aneuploidy, Cortona, Italy “Genome wide survey of protein kinases required
for cell cycle progression”
•7/2004-Science Summer School, Cambridge University, “Decoding the
genome: innovative strategies to studying the cell cycle”
•6/2004-Public Communication of Science and Technology (PCST)
network meeting, Barcelona, “Training scientists to communicate to lay
audiences: successes and limitations of a science communication workshop”
•3/2004-RNA and Microarrays - Broaden Your Horizons, Imperial College,
London “A functional genomic screen to identify protein kinases involved in the
regulation of mitosis”
•3/2001-Wellcome/CRC Institute, Cambridge, UK “An example of adult cell
plasticity: cell cycle re-entry in the adult newt cardiomyocyte”
•European Drosophila Research Conference (Lisbon, 2011)
•Gordon Conference on Motile and Contractile Systems (US, 2011)
•ASCB - Cilia and Centrosome minisymposia – (San Diego, 2009)
•EMBO workshop - Polo like kinases: from the fly to the clinic 20 years
onwards, (Portugal, 2009)
•ELSO – meeting - Nice (2008)
•From Jan 2010 I am part of the editorial board of the journal of the American
Society for Cell Biology (MBC)
•2008-2009 Part of the committee that selects PhD students at IGC
•2002-I review manuscripts and grants for a variety of journals (Nature, Science,
Developmental Cell, Current Biology, Journal Cell Biology, Journal Cell
Science, Molecular Biology of the Cell, EMBO, Cell Motility & Cytoskeleton, and
Trends in Cell Biology) and funding bodies such as the Welcome Trust (UK),
CRUK (UK), Swiss National Foundation, Austrian Academy of Sciences.
As a scientist I think it is also my role to promote science and scientific
knowledge amongst different audiences, such as the lay public, media and
decision-makers. I am engaged in promoting the training of scientists in
communication skills and in identifying effective ways of doing that. I coorganised
and evaluated several workshops on those topics in Europe and
Mozambique. Since 2001 I have applied successfully for funding of the
activities referred above. Those activities were awarded grants from the
Portuguese Government; the Gulbenkian Foundation; the Gatsby
Foundation (UK); the European Union and the British Council (PT). My
laboratory also receives regularly students from high-schools & I have gone
to high schools (16-17 yr olds) to explain our research and what is “to be a
scientist”. I have explained the work of my laboratory to a variety of
Portuguese media. Our work has featured several times in the Portuguese
radio, TV, newspapers and magazines. Our website
(http://sites.igc.gulbenkian.pt/ccr/) is aimed at International scientists and at
the Portuguese lay public. People from our laboratory regularly go to
8/9 8

Science
communication
publications in
refereed
journals or Book
Chapters
Booklets
schools and several science communication events, including speed-dating
with the public and theatre.
• M Bettencourt-Dias, (2005) Training scientists in communication skills:
successes & challenges of Training Workshops. In Proceedings of the
Communicating European Research Meeting. pp.69-76
• M Bettencourt-Dias, A Godinho Coutinho and SJ Araújo (2004) Strategies
to Promote Science Communication: Organisation and Evaluation of
“Comunicar Ciência”, a Workshop to Improve the Communication
Between Portuguese Researchers, the Media and the Public,
Comunicação e Sociedade 6:89-112
• A Godinho Coutinho, SJ Araújo and M Bettencourt-Dias (2004) Science
communication in Portugal: an evaluation of the prospects for two-way,
direct communication between scientists and the public, Comunicação e
Sociedade 6:113-134
§� Co-edited a booklet for Portuguese scientists on “How to communicate with
lay audiences” distributed from June 2006 to 7500 Portuguese scientists.
Funded by FCT.
9/9 9