Professor Rita Bento, from Civil Engineering, Architecture and Environment Department of Instituto Superior Técnico, has been elected to the 2026–2030 term of the Executive Committee of the European Association for Earthquake Engineering (EAEE).

This will be her third consecutive term on this body, following her previous mandates on the EAEE Executive Committee in 2018–2022 and 2022–2026.

On the Executive Committee, and particularly in her new role as Secretary — a position she will be taking on for the first time — Professor Rita Bento is the only Portuguese member. Her work will contribute to the association’s activities, decision-making processes, institutional communication, and coordination of the work developed by the different working groups.

For Professor Rita Bento, being part of this body represents “a great honour and, at the same time, a significant responsibility”, within an association that brings together specialists, researchers and professionals in earthquake engineering from across Europe.

Professor Rita Bento aims to continue contributing to an EAEE that is closer to its members, more active in promoting scientific and technical collaboration between countries, and more engaged with the challenges of seismic risk reduction and the development of more resilient societies.

Her election strengthens the international presence of DECivil and Instituto Superior Técnico in a scientific field of major relevance for the safety of communities and infrastructure.