Maria Teresa Vaz Torrão Lago (born 1947) is a Portuguese astronomer who founded the

Centre for Astrophysics of the University of Porto The Centro de Astrofísica da Universidade do Porto (Centre for Astrophysics of the University of Porto - CAUP) is the largest astronomy research institute in Portugal, with more than 60 people. Since 2000 it has been evaluated as Excellent ...

and created the first astronomy degree program in Portugal. Lago is currently the General Secretary of the International Astronomical Union. Her research focuses on the evolution of young stars and she is active in the promotion of astronomy and scientific culture to the public.

Career

Maria Teresa Vaz Torrão Lago graduated from the University of Porto and received a Ph.D in Astronomy from the University of Sussex in 1979. Her dissertation, ''Observational and Theoretical Study of T Tauri Stars'' was written under advisor Leon Mestel. She led the creation of the first astronomy degree in Portugal at the University of Porto in 1983, where she remains a professor. In 1988, she founded the Centre for Astrophysics at the University of Porto and served as its director for 18 years. She helped promote the signing of the 1990 cooperation agreement which led to Portugal joining the

European Southern Observatory The European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere, commonly referred to as the European Southern Observatory (ESO), is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental research organisation made up of 16 mem ...

. Lago has served on several research and advisory organizations outside of Portugal including the Space Science Advisory Committee of the

European Space Agency , owners = , headquarters = Paris, Île-de-France, France , coordinates = , spaceport = Guiana Space Centre , seal = File:ESA emblem seal.png , seal_size = 130px , image = Views in the Main Control Room (1205 ...

and the board of the School of Cosmic Physics at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. She was a founding member of the

European Research Council The European Research Council (ERC) is a public body for funding of scientific and technological research conducted within the European Union (EU). Established by the European Commission in 2007, the ERC is composed of an independent Scientific ...

. She also served as chair of the ERC's Gender balance working group. Lago has held leadership positions at the International Astronomical Union including Assistant General Secretary of the Executive Committee and advisor to the Special Nominating Committee. As of 2018, Lago was the General Secretary of the IAU. Lago is a member of the UK's Royal Astronomical Society and the Academia Europaea.

Recognition

In 1985, Lago won a

Henri Chrétien Henri Jacques Chrétien (1 February 1879, Paris – 6 February 1956, Washington, D.C.) was a French astronomer and an inventor. Born in Paris, France, his most famous inventions are: - the anamorphic widescreen process, using an anamorphic len ...

grant from the

American Astronomical Society The American Astronomical Society (AAS, sometimes spoken as "double-A-S") is an American society of professional astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Washington, DC. The primary objective of the AAS is to promote the adv ...

. Lago was awarded the Ciência Viva Montepio Award in 2018 for her contribution to promoting scientific culture.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lago, Teresa 1947 births Living people Women astronomers Women astrophysicists Portuguese astronomers University of Porto alumni Alumni of the University of Sussex Academic staff of the University of Porto