Diana Camões, Adviser to the Prime Minister, holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Law from our Faculty, where she is currently pursuing a PhD. She has been awarded the António Barbosa de Melo Prize for Parliamentary Studies ex aequo by the Portuguese Parliament. At just 26 years of age, her research in Constitutional Law has been recognised, fulfilling an ambition she first set herself during her undergraduate studies.

Her award-winning research, entitled “Sistema Eleitoral, Parlamentarismo e Representação Democrática em Portugal: Entre a Constituição e a Realidade Política”, examines the Portuguese electoral system, parliamentarism and the challenges of democratic representation, exploring the relationship between the constitutional framework and political reality. The award holds particular significance for our PhD candidate, who set herself this goal at an early stage: “In 2020, while still in my second year of undergraduate studies, I set myself the goal of winning this prize,” she recalls. Six years later, she has achieved that ambition, earlier than she had ever imagined.

At 26, Diana Camões highlights the importance of this recognition for her academic career and for the continuation of her research. As she shared on LinkedIn, she is now “even more motivated to pursue research in Constitutional Law as part of my PhD”.

Awarded every two years, the Prémio António Barbosa de Melo de Estudos Parlamentares recognises original research in the fields of Constitutional Law, Contemporary History and Political Science, focusing on Parliament and Parliamentarism in Portugal.

The Faculty of Law - Porto School and the Católica Research Centre for the Future of Law warmly congratulate Diana Camões on this distinction, which represents significant recognition of her academic achievements and the research work she has been carrying out.