Manuel Valadares
Manuel Valadares (1904–1982) was a Portuguese atomic and nuclear physicist, who studied with Marie Curie. He played an important role in the development of atomic and nuclear research at the University of Lisbon before returning to France in 1947 after being dismissed by the "Estado Novo" government, along with a large number of other university professors and researchers. He was also a pioneer in the use of X-rays for art restoration in Portugal. Early studies and Paris. Manuel José Nogueira Valadares was born in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon on 26 February 1904. He graduated in physical-chemical  sciences at the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Lisbon. After a brief spell as a teacher, he became an assistant at the Portuguese Institute of Oncology. In 1929–1930, with a scholarship from the Portuguese Government, he studied at the "Radium Institut Suisse" (RIS) in Geneva. Although he learnt a lot from this experience, Valadares nevertheless has some criticisms of the RIS. He found it to be poorly equipped, with no equipment to measure radiation intensity. He also criticized the small space available, that was not enough to protect personnel from radiation. He then spent a month at the  Turin anti-cancer institute, before returning to Portugal. He then moved to Paris, where he stayed from November 1930 to 1933 at the Curie Institute. On his first meeting with Marie Curie, he was very shy, fully admitting in correspondence that he was "hesitating and repeating myself horribly". He obtained a doctorate on 11 December 1933, under the supervision of Curie, with a thesis title of "Contribution to Spectrography by Crystalline Diffraction of Radiation". Researchers he worked with included Yvette Cauchois, Fernand Holweck and Salomon Rosenblum. In an article he published in 1947 he cited Paul Langevin and Francis Perrin  as being major influences during his time in Paris. Return to Portugal. After returning to Portugal and the University of Lisbon, and still in receipt of scholarships, he devoted himself to investigating nuclear physics and X-ray spectroscopy. In the initial years he was constrained by a lack of suitable equipment due to funding shortages. In 1936 he started several research studies in the field of X-ray spectrography and radioactivity, but only presented the results some years later. In 1936 all civil servants were required by the Estado Novo to sign the following statement: "I declare on my honour  that I am part of the order established by the Political Constitution of 1933, with an active rejection of communism and all subversive ideas". Valadares complied with the request reluctantly, one month after being asked. While in Paris he had collaborated with the Mainini Institute, which was pioneering the use of X-rays to study works of art, particularly in the Louvre museum. In 1937 he was given a scholarship to work with João Couto, director of the National Museum of Ancient Art in Lisbon to establish a laboratory to investigate works of art through the use of radiographic equipment . In 1940–1941, Valadares went on a scholarship to the Alessandro Volta Institute in Pavia, Italy, choosing that institution because it was in the process of assembling a particle accelerator. He was also able to use its Moll microphotometer to study the intensity of spectral streaks of lead. From Pavia, Valadares moved to the Physics Laboratory of the "Instituto di Sanitá Pubblica" of Rome, where he used a spectrograph specially built for him to study the crystalline diffraction of radiation. He then returned to Portugal, where he played an important role in the beginning of atomic and nuclear research at the  Physics Laboratory of the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, creating, with others, the Centre for Physics Studies (Centro de Estudos de Física) where he guided researchers in nuclear physics and spectrometry. Valadares was awarded a doctorate by the University of Lisbon in 1942. In the same year he was offered a full professorship by the University of Porto but turned the offer down because he wanted to concentrate on research rather than teaching. This was despite his exceptional teaching skills, a fact that was highlighted when he was awarded an honorary degree at the University of Lisbon  in 1981. Meanwhile, he continued to prepare a student manual on atomic physics, which was published in 1947. He was co-founder in 1943 of the journal "Portugaliae Physica". It was intended, through this magazine, both to disseminate the research work done in Portugal, and to also publish foreign scientists. He also contributed in 1946 to the foundation of the magazine "Gazeta de Física", aimed at Portuguese physicists and students, publishing several articles there. The first editor of this was Lidia Salgueiro, whose PhD thesis he had supervised. Dismissal and return to Paris. In June 1947, Valadares was dismissed by  the "Estado Novo" government, along with a large number of other university professors and researchers from the universities of Lisbon, Porto and Coimbra. In November of that year he returned to Paris, at the invitation of Irène Joliot-Curie, where he held several academic positions. Working for the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), he rose to the position of director of the Centre de Spéctrométrie Nucléaire et de Spéctrométrie de Masse, occupying the post until 1968. In 1969 he was nominated honorary director of the centre. During his time in France, he continued to collaborate with those who  remained in Portugal, hoping that his work in Lisbon would not die. Researchers at the Centre for Physics Studies sometimes went to Paris to discuss ongoing work with him and seek his suggestions for continuing their research. The Portuguese vonsul in Paris refused to renew the passports of Valadares, his wife and son in 1966, stating that this was on orders from Lisbon. He would only renew their passports for travel to Portugal. Consequently, Valadares requested French naturalization, receiving the full support of his employers. Manuel Valadares died on 31 October 1982. Publications. Valadares published, often in collaboration with his  colleagues or students, more than 70 articles, mostly related to his research in atomic and nuclear physics. He supported many researchers and guided many research studies by PhD students. His publications included: For a complete list see