Vinícius de Paula

“I am an artist who speaks the language of science.” 
PhD Researcher in Polymer Circularity | CICECO, University of Aveiro
Solvent Intelligence • Green Chemistry • Scientific Integrity
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Mission

I study how materials transform — and how knowledge should transform with them. My work combines chemistry, engineering, computation, and sustainability to make polymer recycling more circular, transparent, and intelligent. I believe scientific progress must be:

  • Rigorous in method
  • Transparent in process
  • Ethical in authorship
  • Beautiful in communication
RECYCLING Intelligence & Circular Polymers

Research Focus

I develop models and experiments to enable recycling of polymers such as solvation of heteropolymer structures and chemical depolymerization of polymer waste, integrating:

The goal: Design not only to recycle — but to solve waste.

Scientific Values

Integrity before impact

Results must be honest, reproducible, and explainable.

Sustainability as duty

Chemistry and Engineering must regenerate, not extract.

Transparent authorship

Human and algorithmic contributions documented openly.

Elegance as ethics

Clarity and beauty deepen understanding.

Education as responsibility

Science should empower minds, not gatekeep knowledge.

2

Journal Articles

10

Oral Presentations

12

Conference Posters

14

Conference Abstracts

Recent News

An April of Mourning. Carnations? Only white and blessed

24 April, 2025 (original chronicle: https://www.publico.pt/2025/04/23/p3/cronica/abril-luto-cravos-so-brancos-benzidos-2130815)Our famously secular State — always so steadfast in its constitutional convictions, right up until the first chance to kneel — h...
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Author Spotlight: An Optimized Automated Method for Investigating Retinoic Acid Receptors in Neuronal Mitochondria

28 July, 2023 (original video: https://app.jove.com/v/65452/author-spotlight-an-optimized-automated-method-for-investigating)The complex mitochondrial network makes it very challenging to segment, follow, and analyze live cells. MATLAB tools allow the ana...
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University Podcast #71 (PT) - Will I have a job with a Chemical Engineering Degree?

May 14, 2021 (original episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziE3t8KUTfY)In this live session, we talk with 4 university students from the Chemical Engineering program at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, the Faculty of Science and...
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Portuguese Chemical Engineering Students Discuss Their Role in Industry 4.0

March 29, 2021 (original news: https://www.ua.pt/en/noticias/4/67443)The goal is to bring together Chemical Engineering students from all national higher education institutions and create a space for the exchange of experiences, bringing future chemical e...
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