Henrique Veiga-Fernandes

Henrique Veiga-Fernandes is an immunologist who made foundational discoveries in immunity, pioneering the field of peripheral neuro-immune interactions in health and disease. His work revealed how neural signals shape immune function throughout the body, reshaping inflammation, host metabolism, and physiology. He further demonstrated how neuroimmune circuits control adaptation to environmental cues such as diet and microbiota, establishing new conceptual frameworks for understanding how the immune system intersects with different body systems and the external environment.

Henrique is a Principal Investigator at the Champalimaud Foundation, where he leads the Immunophysiology Laboratory and has served as Research director for six years. He is on the Board of Reviewing Editors of Science AAAS, is a member of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) and the EMBO membership committee. He was made Commander of the Order of Sant’Iago da Espada by Portugal and was member of the National Council of Science, Technology and Innovation in XXII Government of Portugal. He secured several European Research Council (ERC) awards and became ambassador for the ERC in Portugal in 2025. Amongst others, he won the Allen Distinguished Investigator award US in 2018, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) Award, US in 2020.