Category Archives: Events

The last Lecture of Prof. A. Augusto de Sousa

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Last Monday, 26th of May, the Auditorium José Carlos Marques dos Santos was filled to capacity for the final lecture by Prof. A. Augusto de Sousa, who was bidding farewell to a university career spanning more than 40 years.

Entitled ‘Computer Graphics and Multiple Realities: Explaining a Career‘, the lecture was attended by hundreds of students (both current and former), fellow teachers and staff, family and friends, all of whom wanted to be present at this emotional event.

“Computer graphics allow us to represent and interact with virtual objects, as well as synthesise images of them. The tools, models and algorithms are countless and enable us to develop various realities, whether they are virtual, augmented or mixed. With some imagination, perhaps they can also model the reality of a university professor’s career.” – and so it was in this case. A university career that began in 1983 as an assistant trainee and went on to cover many different paths, always driven by a passion for Teaching and Pedagogy.

The session ended with a celebration featuring performances by TUNAFE, TEUP and the FEUP Fado Group.

The final lecture was broadcasted live and is available to watch here.

Linking Great Partners 2025

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On the 3rd of June, the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto will host Linking Great Partners 2025, an emblematic event of the Department of Informatics Engineering (DEI), recognised for the impact of the contribution of students and the university to the regional innovation ecosystem.

It will take place throughout the day in the Auditorium José Carlos Marques dos Santos, in two parts: the LGP Challenge (pitch session, divided into four acts) and Tech in Action (product fair, divided into two parts).

LGP Challenge, the first act – innovating with AI – includes LGP startups that have developed AI-based solutions. The second act – innovating with the market – consists of a panel with startups that explored ideas proposed by students and developed these products by interacting with the market. In the third act – innovating with organisations – startups that have developed solutions to improve organisational processes will be presented. The last act – innovating with society – includes startups that have developed solutions in collaboration with actors from society.

There are 29 proto-startups created by around 320 students enrolled in the Project Management Laboratory (LGP) course, from various courses at the Faculty of Engineering (FEUP) and the Faculty of Economics (FEP) to respond to the real challenges presented by the 23 partner organisations and opportunities identified in the market.

Using agile software development and experimentation methods, the student teams developed several innovative technological solutions, such as ‘Saudade à Viola’, a project developed in collaboration with artist Gil Ferreira, where a digital avatar joins him on stage, reacting in real time to his voice and adding visual elements to the story of each song; and the ‘HackTrack’ platform platform for learning about cybersecurity through real-world challenges, in collaboration with the Visionarium Association. This 2025 edition also saw the design of the products ‘Immersia Stations’, a solution for interactive and immersive experiences in museums, and ‘Há Cartas?’ (Are there cards?), a mobile application that allows you to turn any moment into an opportunity to play cards, even if everyone has forgotten to bring them. These are just a few examples of the products that will be presented during the event.

Luis Filipe Teixeira, coordinator of the course unit and Associate Professor at DEI, highlights that this approach ‘gives students an opportunity to acquire not only technical skills, but also collaboration, resilience and creativity, as they navigate the uncertainty and complexity of developing technological products for customers and the market.’
He adds that ‘LGP promotes an environment where experimentation is encouraged and where students take on entrepreneurial roles, engage with real stakeholders and learn by doing.’

For Raul Vidal, Emeritus Professor at the Faculty of Engineering, “by involving students from various curricular spheres and different profiles in collaborative work that encourages critical and creative thinking, LGP is a unique opportunity to develop skills in project management, teamwork, customer interaction, marketing, communication, and many other areas that make our students future professionals with a truly distinctive profile and prepare them to be future leaders.”

Linking Great Partners 2025 will be broadcasting live on the event’s YouTube channel.

PhD Defense in Digital Media “Interaction methods for digital musical instruments: Application in personal devices”

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Candidate:
Alexandre Resende Clément

Date, Time and Location:
5th of June 2025, 14:30, Sala de Atos, Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto

President of the Jury:
António Fernando Vasconcelos Cunha Castro Coelho, PhD, Associate Professor with Habilitation, Department of Informatics Engineering, Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto

Members:
Marcelo Mortensen Wanderley, PhD, Full Professor, Department of Music Research, Schulich School of Music, McGill University, Canadá;
Damián Keller, PhD, Associate Professor, Centro de Educação, Letras e Artes da Universidade Federal do Acre, Brasil;
Sofia Carmen Faria Maia Cavaco, PhD, Assistant Professor, Informatics Department, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia, Universidade NOVA de Lisboa;
Rui Pedro Amaral Rodrigues, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Informatics Engineering, Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto;
Gilberto Bernardes de Almeida, PhD, Department of Informatics Engineering, Faculdade de Engenharia, Universidade do Porto (Supervisor).

Abstract:

“This thesis explores the potential of mobile handheld devices as tools for digital musical instrument interaction and participatory performance. Guided by the principles of ubiquitous music and intuitive interaction, the research investigates how mobile handheld devices can address challenges and unlock opportunities in contemporary music-making through participatory frameworks, gesture mappings, and multimodal feedback. Three experiments form the foundation of this study. The first describes and evaluates a system that enables large-scale audience participation in multimedia performances. It highlights the ability of mobile handheld devices to engage users and foster collaboration but reveals challenges in designing intuitive interactions for untrained participants. The second experiment examines how users instinctively map gestures to core musical parameters, such as pitch, duration, and amplitude, identifying natural trends – and the influence of musical training and experience on interaction strategies. The third focuses on evaluating the impact of multimodal feedback, combining auditory, visual, and haptic modalities, in note pitch tuning tasks.
The findings underscore the importance of designing standardised interaction guidelines and integrating multimodal feedback to make digital musical instruments more accessible and intuitive. Experiment 1 showed that the lack of a unified interaction model limited intuitive engagement, highlighting the need for standards that balance individual creativity with group intent. Experiment 2 found clear user preferences for gesture mappings of onset, pitch, and duration, shaped by cultural familiarity, and supporting context-aware design. Experiment 3 showed that while multimodal feedback had little immediate effect on accuracy, it improved user confidence and may aid long-term learning. This research advances the understanding of how mobile handheld devices can support participatory and creative music-making, contributing to the development of inclusive, user-friendly, and versatile musical tools.”

DEI Talks | “Designing New Interfaces for Musical Expression: Opportunities and Challenges” by Marcelo M. Wanderley

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The talk “Designing New Interfaces for Musical Expression: Opportunities and Challenges” will be presented on the 4th of June, at 16:00, in room B018, moderated by Gilberto Bernardes de Almeida (DEI).

Abstract:

“Computer music has a compelling history, with initial attempts to perform computer-generated music live dating back several decades. Performing sounds generated by computers presents numerous opportunities and challenges for musical expression. Though virtually any sound can be synthesized and performed arbitrarily without the inherent physical constraints of strings, membranes, and columns of air, this freedom poses unprecedented challenges to instrument designers, composers, musicians, and concertgoers.
In this talk, I will discuss the design and use of several new interfaces developed at the Input Devices and Music Interaction Laboratory at McGill University, ranging from self-contained digital musical instruments and prosthetic interfaces for dance performances to fMRI-compatible electronic instruments used in neuroscience studies. I will highlight the unique context and challenges of each development, showcasing the critical importance of interdisciplinary research in this field. Finally, I will present an overview of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology (www.cirmmt.org), a leading research centre established 25 years ago, focusing on sound and music, based in Montreal, QC, Canada. CIRMMT’s mandate is to eliminate the barriers between disciplines and research domains by supporting researchers and artists from various backgrounds to interact in ways not possible in traditional academic environments.”

About the Speaker:

Marcelo M. Wanderley is Professor of Music Technology at McGill University, Canada, where he directs the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Music Media and Technology (CIRMMT). His research interests include the design and evaluation of digital musical instruments and the analysis of performer movements. He co-edited the electronic book “Trends in Gestural Control of Music” in 2000, co-authored the textbook “New Digital Musical Instruments: Control and Interaction Beyond the Keyboard” in 2006, and chaired the 2003 International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME03). He held invited research chairs in several European and American institutions, including Inria Lille, France, the University of Mons, Belgium, and the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil. He is a member of the Computer Music Journal’s Editorial Advisory Board and a senior member of the ACM and the IEEE.

Creativity Talks | “Creativity as a Complex Psychological Dimension” by Manuela Romo

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The 16th session of the Creativity Talks will feature distinguished psychologist and professor Manuela Romo as the keynote speaker, presenting on “Creativity as a Complex Psychological Dimension”. The talk will be delivered in Spanish and will be held online May 22nd, at 6:00 PM GMT+1 (Lisbon and London time), and will be moderated by Manuel Firmino (DEI).

“Creativity is a way of thinking that results in things that are both novel and valuable” (Romo, 2019).

This operational definition serves as a starting point, but understanding creativity goes beyond the products it generates. We will discuss the cognitive processes involved in this way of thinking, but producing creative outcomes requires more than just cognitive processes—these alone would explain an isolated contribution in a given field. However, a creative person maintains this dimension consistently throughout their productive life, which requires other psychological dimensions related to motivation and personality. The most important theoretical models for explaining creativity reflect this complex nature. These are componential models that integrate cognitive, personal-affective, and sociocultural elements. We will explore these models and provide a description of their components.

The talk will be streamed here.

Manuela Romo holds a Ph.D. in Psychology from the Autonomous University of Madrid, where she has developed her teaching and research career. She has published six books, 16 book chapters, and more than 50 articles. Among her notable contributions to the dissemination and application of creativity studies is her book Psychology of Creativity: Contemporary Perspectives (Ed. Paidós, 2019). She has also developed a test for assessing children’s creativity: TCI – Test de Creatividad Infantil (TEA Ediciones, 2008). She has delivered over 70 lectures on the subject and conducted courses and workshops in Spain, Portugal, Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, Taiwan, and various Latin American countries. She is a member of the editorial board of several scientific journals, including The International Journal of Creativity and Human Development, Frontiers in Psychology – Cognition, Creatividad y Sociedad: Revista de la Asociación para la Creatividad, Arte, Individuo y Sociedad (Complutense University of Madrid), Recrearte: IACAT (Institute for Advanced Studies in Creativity), and RECRIAI (Ibero-American Journal of Creativity and Innovation) in Brazil.

DEI Talks | “Governança de Inteligência Artificial: Erros, Desinformação e Desafios Contemporâneos” by André Lemos and Haline Maia

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The talk entitled “Governança de Inteligência Artificial: Erros, Desinformação e Desafios Contemporâneos” will be presented (PT) on May the 16th, at 10:30, in room I-105.

Abstract:

In this double session, researchers André Lemos and Haline Maia explore, from critical and interdisciplinary perspectives, some of the main dilemmas that emerge from the growing presence of artificial intelligence in social, educational and informational life.

André Lemos focuses his presentation on the flaws and disruptions that run through algorithmic systems, discussing how AI can be not only efficient, but also precarious, uncertain and opaque. Through a socio-technical approach, he analyses AI errors as structuring elements of contemporary digital culture.

Haline Maia brings to the discussion the implications of AI in information ecosystems, with an emphasis on journalism and disinformation. Based on a study that combines participatory methodologies and ethical assessment of technological impact, she presents reflections on how to align technologies such as deepfakes and automated fact-checking with fundamental human values.

Each presentation will last 30 minutes and will be followed by a discussion with the audience.
The lecture is part of the research project Governance of Artificial Intelligence in Brazil and Portugal: Crossroads and Trends. Supported by CNPQ/MCTI/FNDCT 22/2024.

About the speakers:

André Lemos is a Full Professor at the Faculty of Communication of the Federal University of Bahia (UFBA) and coordinator of Lab404. He holds a PhD from the Sorbonne, with postdoctoral studies in Canada, Ireland and Brazil, and is an international reference in cyberculture, technological mediations and socio-technical studies. Author of more than 15 books and winner of several awards, he is currently investigating the effects of errors, failures and instabilities in digital systems. He is a level 1A researcher at CNPq and a full member of the Bahia Academy of Sciences.

Haline Maia is a researcher affiliated with INESC TEC and CIRCLE (Lund University), as well as an Associate Professor at IPAM. She holds a PhD in Digital Media from FEUP and works in the areas of AI governance, algorithmic ethics and education. With 15 years of experience in communication, she has indexed academic publications and actively participates in international projects on automated journalism and digital strategies.

DEI Talks | “Safe Evolution of Smart Contracts Supported by LLMs and SMT Solvers” by Augusto Sampaio (UFPE)

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The talk “Safe Evolution of Smart Contracts Supported by LLMs and SMT Solvers” will be presented April the 24th, at 14:00, in room B006, moderated by Nuno Macedo (DEI).

Abstract:

The focus of this talk is a framework that supports the safe deployment and upgrade of smart contracts based on the design-by-contract (dbc) paradigm. The input is (i) an interface specification with invariants and pre- and postconditions for each function, and (ii) an implementation to be verified. The deployed version of a smart contract must conform to this specification. Specification evolution might involve both changing the data representation as well as extending the interface with new functions, provided the evolved specification is a refinement of the original one. A distinguishing feature of the overall approach is the automation of the verification process in a hidden formal methods style. Since developers tend to be reluctant to provide formal specifications for software components, we are investigating state-of-the-art NL processing technologies, using Large Language Models (LLMs), particularly, ChatGPT, to automatically infer formal (dbc) interface specifications from textual requirements. Also, when an upgrade involves change of data representation, we use the Alloy Analyser to automatically infer the relation between the two data representations. The applicability of the framework is evaluated in the context of Solidity smart contracts that implement some Ethereum standards. This project is a collaboration between Universidade Federal de Pernambuco (Brazil), The University College Oxford Blockchain Research Centre (UK), and The Blockhouse Technology Limited (UK).

About the Speaker:

Augusto Sampaio is a DPhil from Oxford University, Doctor Honoris Causa from the University of York, Commander of the Brazilian Order of Scientific Merit, a member of the Brazilian Academy of Science, and a Professor at Universidade Federal de Pernambuco. His main research interests are software engineering formal methods; formal approaches to testing; design, simulation and verification of robotic systems; and safe evolution of smart contracts. He is an Editorial Board member of Formal Aspects of Computing (ACM) and Science of Computer Programming (Elsevier), and has been a PC member of leading conferences in the field (FM, ETAPS, SEFM, ICFEM, ICTAC …). He published more than 150 papers and supervised 60 PhD and master’s students.

New Doctors honoured at Conferment Ceremony 2025

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The José Carlos Marques dos Santos Auditorium hosted another ‘Conferment Ceremony – Doctoral Awards & Career Award’ on April the 10th, at 17:00, awarding the most honourable distinction to those who completed their doctorate and defended their thesis in the 2023/2024 academic year.

The Prof. Doutor Joaquim Sarmento and Fundação Eng.º António de Almeida institutional awards were also presented, as well as the 2024 Career Award, this year given to Eng.º José Manuel Fernandes, founder of the FREZITE Group.

There was also time to honour the doctoral graduates who have completed 25 or 50 years of study, including Prof. Rui Carlos Camacho de Sousa Ferreira da Silva (DEI), and those who obtained the title of Agregado in 2004, including Prof. Gil Manuel Magalhães de Andrade Gonçalves, also from DEI.

The final speech was given by the Vice-Rector for Training, Academic Organization, Health and Well-being, Prof. José Castro Lopes.

The honoured doctorates linked to DEI:

Doctoral Programme in Informatics Engineering

Artur Jorge da Silva Rocha
Luís Carlos de Sousa Moreira Neto
Maria José Gomes Pedroto
Miguel António Mourão de Abreu
Pedro Miguel dos Santos Pinto
Tiago André Queiroz Soares da Costa
Yassine Baghoussi

Doctoral Programme in Digital Media

Abel João Gavinho Vaz Tavares Neto
Ana Sofia Airosa Coelho de Passos Baptista
Diogo Fernandes Santos
Hermann Bergmann Garcia e Silva
Joana Patrícia de Sousa Rodrigues
Juliana Carolina Campos Monteiro
Luís Alberto Teixeira Aly (Cum Laude)
Luís Henrique Pinto Arandas
Mariana de Oliveira Magalhães (Cum Laude)

PhD in Computer Science (Joint programme with FCUP, UA and UM)

Francisco José Torres Ribeiro
Rui António Ramada Rua
Simão Paulo Rato Alves Reis
Thiago de Andrade Silva
Ziad Kassam

DEI Talks | “Cyber Security Threat Landscape in the Context of Industry 4.0” by Haider Abbas

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The talk “Cyber Security Threat Landscape in the Context of Industry 4.0” will be presented April the 14th, at 14:30 (1h), in room I-105, moderated by Pedro Diniz (DEI).

Abstract:

Industry 4.0 is revolutionizing the ways in which industries function. Big data, industrial control systems, supervisory control, and data acquisition systems, smart machines, robotics, internet of things (IoT) etc., all fall under the umbrella of Industry 4.0. With the fourth industrial revolution comes new operational risks for smart manufacturers, connected devices, and digital supply networks. With increasing digital transformation and interconnected nature of industry 4.0, cyberattacks can have significantly greater effects than ever before while the manufacturers may not be prepared for the potential risks. Without the strong cybersecurity practices in place, industries can be subject to industrial property theft, production sabotage, industrial espionage etc. To address the cyber risks adequately in the era of industry 4.0, it is crucial to make the cyber security strategies secure and resilient and integrate them fully in the organizational strategies from the beginning. This talk will discuss different types of attacks smart industries can be targeted for. The talk will also recommend some techniques and cyber security practices that the manufacturing industries must adopt to protect themselves against such attacks.

About the Speaker:

Haider Abbas is the head of the R&D Department at the College of Signals, NUST, and founder of the National Cyber Security Auditing and Evaluation Lab (NCSAEL). He is a Cyber Security expert with advanced training from MIT, Stockholm University, IBM, and EC-Council, and holds a PhD in Information Security. Dr. Abbas is an editor for several renowned journals and has chaired numerous international conferences. He has authored over 130 research papers and has received multiple prestigious awards, including the NUST Best Researcher Award. He is a Fellow of the IET, BCS, and IST, and a Senior Member of IEEE. Additionally, he serves on the Board of Governors for Pakistan’s National Information Technology Board (NITB).

ENEI back to Porto

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The Encontro Nacional de estudantes de Informática – ENEI’25 is coming up and on its 16th edition, will take place from 11 to 14 April at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP) and the Higher Institute of Engineering of Porto (ISEP/IPP), organised jointly by the student groups NIAEFEUP (Informatics Engineering Group of the Students‘ Association of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto), NCGM (Computer Graphics and Multimedia Group) and NEI-ISEP (Computer Science Students’ Group of the Higher Engineering Institute of Porto).

The more than 500 participants of the event will have the opportunity to take part in a wide range of activities, including talks (21), workshops (33), competitions, a job fair and countless networking moments throughout the days and nights of the event. Times and locations of the activities can be found at the event’s webpage.

The organisation highlights some of the 21 talks scheduled:

‘AI, Copilots, and the future of software development’ by Eddie Aftandilian, Principal Researcher at Github Next;
‘How to look through skin with AI’ by Michael Pound, Researcher at the University of Nottingham, Member of the Youtube Channel Computerphile;
‘The programmer who didn’t know how to code – Powered by IEEE Portugal’ by Charalampos Patrikakis, Professor at University of West Attica. IEEE Distinguished Visitor;
‘Cyberwarfare: Who Needs a Gun when you have a Keyboard? – Powered by ACM FEUP’ by Haider Abbas, Head of the R&D Department at College of Signals, National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Pakistan;
‘What impact does software development have on an F1 team?’ by João Romão, Graduate Software Engineer at Aston Martin F1 Team;
‘Approaches and Challenges of Virtual and Augmented Reality in Health and Rehabilitation’ by Joaquim Jorge, Full Professor at the Instituto Superior Técnico (IST). IEEE Fellow. UNESCO Chair on AI & XR;
‘How to make software for Hollywood studios’ by Nuno Fonseca, Founder and CEO Sound Particles (Alumnus ProDEI);
‘A story on Computer Vision: from zero to hero’ by José Costa Pereira, Assistant Professor at DEI/FEUP;
‘CRDTs: Building blocks for high availability and beyond’ by Carlos Baquero (DEI/FEUP) and Nuno Preguiça, co-creators of CRDTs;
‘Competitive Programming: Will it make you a better programmer?’ by André Restivo, Associate Professor at DEI/FEUP.

Also on show there will be a Points System that will allow participants to win more than 100 prizes. The event’s points are called bytes. All participants will be able to earn bytes by taking part in activities, completing tasks or securing podium places in the event’s various competitions, among other things. On the ENEI website there will be a shop where can be bought items with bytes. ‘This way, participants will have plenty of motivation to make the most of the event’s programme!’ say the organisers.

Discovering the latest technological trends, finding motivation for upcoming challenges, meeting students with common interests, contacting relevant companies in the field and leaving the event with new skills is what the organisers want to offer to all students travelling to Porto at the end of the week for what’s expected to be one of the best ENEI’s ever!