With a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Civil Engineering and a PhD in Engineering and Management – all completed at Instituto Superior Técnico – Cátia Medeiros da Silva is the newest faculty member to join the Department of Engineering and Management (DEG).

Her connection to Técnico is both long-standing and profound. “Here I found not only an excellent school, but also a true academic home,” she says. She is currently a Professor at DEG and a researcher at CEGIST, and has also taught at Católica Lisbon School of Business and Economics.

At Técnico, she teaches Operations Management and the 1st Cycle Integrative Project in the Industrial Engineering and Management programme. She also has experience teaching Supply Chain Management, Operations Planning and Control, and Logistics and Operations Management. She believes that teaching should be transformative, relevant, and inspiring. “Teaching is also about learning, growing alongside students, and contributing to the development of professionals who are ethical, aware, and capable of making informed, sustainable decisions that have a positive impact on society,” she explains. Her teaching efforts have been recognised with pedagogical excellence awards at Técnico.

Her research focuses on the sustainable management of supply chains, particularly on integrating economic, environmental, and social impacts into decision-making. She has contributed innovative, practice-oriented approaches that promote more responsible and effective solutions to the complex challenges faced by supply chains. Her work has been recognised with the EURO Award for the Best EJOR Paper 2020 and the YoungWomen4OR award, highlighting the relevance and impact of her contributions to the fields of Operations Research and Sustainability.

“Joining Técnico’s faculty is an honour and a challenge I embrace with enthusiasm and a strong sense of responsibility,” she says. “It’s a continuation of a journey that began at this School, where I grew, dreamed, and pushed my limits – now with the mission of giving back.”

Outside of academia, she enjoys interior design and decorating, loves to travel and discover new cultures, and recharges her energy to the sound of good rock‘n’roll.