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�Ը������� University Assistant Professor Dr. Diana Gonçalves Schmidt has received a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER award, one of the agency’s most prestigious honors for early-career faculty. The five year award recognizes researchers who demonstrate exceptional potential to advance both scientific discovery and education while serving as leaders in their fields. 

When Gonçalves Schmidt learned that her proposal had been funded, she was thrilled. “I could not believe it and started jumping up and down with excitement!” she said.

The CAREER Award represents an important milestone in Gonçalves Schmidt’s career as a researcher and educator. “It acknowledges my creativity, passion for science, resilience, and hard work,” she said.

Gonçalves Schmidt’s research focuses on messenger RNAs (mRNAs), the molecules that carry genetic instructions from DNA to guide protein production. Understanding where these molecules are located within cells is essential for explaining biological processes such as brain development, cellular communication, and reproductive function.

Advancing Molecular Imaging

Current imaging technologies each provide only part of the picture. Fluorescence microscopy can identify specific molecules using light-emitting labels but cannot clearly reveal their precise locations within the cell at the smallest scales. Electron microscopy, on the other hand, produces highly detailed images of cellular structures but cannot readily distinguish multiple labeled molecules at the same time.

Through her CAREER project, Gonçalves Schmidt and her research group aim to bridge this gap by developing a new imaging platform that combines the strengths of both techniques using DNA nanotechnology. By designing tiny DNA-based structures that function as molecular “barcodes,” the team hopes to identify multiple messenger RNAs while simultaneously visualizing the cellular structures in which they operate.

The technology will enable scientists to better understand how the brain and hormones work together to regulate female fertility. Because fluorescence and electron microscopes are already widely available at universities and research institutions, the approach also has the potential to make advanced molecular imaging accessible to a broader scientific community.

Beyond its scientific impact, the project will support interdisciplinary STEM education by providing undergraduate research opportunities for students in biology, chemistry, engineering, physics, and computer science. Students will gain hands-on experience while collaborating across disciplines to solve complex scientific challenges.

Inspired by Great Mentors

Gonçalves Schmidt is an assistant professor of organic chemistry in �Ը�������’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

She earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Aveiro in Portugal, where she studied chemistry and food chemistry, before completing her D. Phil at the University of Cambridge under the supervision of Prof. Jeremy K. M. Sanders.

Her passion for chemistry began in high school in Portugal, where partnerships between schools and chemical companies introduced students to careers in science. She credits her 12^th grade chemistry teacher, Helena Albertina Silva Pedrosa, as her first mentor and says she has been fortunate to have exceptional mentors throughout every stage of her academic career, including Prof. Artur Silva, Dr. Diana Pinto, Prof. Jeremy Sanders, Prof. Sir Shankar Balasubramanian, and Prof. Alex Heckel.

Looking ahead, Gonçalves Schmidt is excited to expand opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to participate in cutting-edge STEM research.

She is grateful for the opportunity to pursue the science that inspires her every day. “It makes me want to wake up early every morning,” she said.

For students considering a career in research, she offers simple advice, “Only do it if it makes you wake up early every morning!”