By Álvaro Paralta, SICC, FEUP

“She has been passionate about video games for as long as she can remember. She enjoys reading and strums the guitar from time to time, but for the past few years she has devoted herself entirely to Informatics Engineering, which she studied at the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP). This was the ticket that allowed Inês Cardoso, a native of Porto, to move to Poland, the country from which she spoke to us and where she works as a software engineer at Google. In a lengthy conversation, we connected the two points on the globe to learn about and explore her journey.

The awakening of a vocation

Engineering wasn’t always an obvious path or an immediate choice. Although the subjects she enjoyed most pointed to a certain inclination – Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics – choosing which course to pursue was a real challenge. Especially at a time when the balance between doubts and certainties isn’t necessarily even. “I was confused, but at one point I thought that studying computer engineering might be a good way to get into making video games, which I’ve always loved,” she recalls.

During secondary school, which she completed at Rio Tinto Secondary School, she visited FEUP on several occasions, including the “Semana Profissão: Engenharia” and on every visit, her impression of the faculty was the same: “it’s a university for grown-ups”. So much so that she enrolled there in 2020. “When I started, we were in the middle of a pandemic and I think that made my first year more challenging: on the one hand, classes were held online, and on the other, I had some doubts about whether I was on the right path or not,” she explains.

Despite the slight uncertainty in this early stage, the next five years were spent in what would become his second home. Along the way, she joined the Núcleo de Estudantes de Informática da Associação de Estudantes da FEUP (NIAEFEUP) and helped organise the National Meeting of Informatics Students (ENEI), which took place between 11 and 14 April. “Being part of the society and organising events of this kind allows us to connect with lots of people, forge new bonds and open up new opportunities – which is especially important in the early years of university.”

She undertook an internship at JumpSeller and explored a different field – writing – at the Jornal Universitário do Porto (JUP). In 2023, she began her master’s degree, where she realised which area she would like to specialise in. “I took a course in computer vision that sparked my interest – it combined artificial intelligence with imaging; and that’s when I thought it might be interesting to work on an application of this technology to medical imaging,” she recalls.

In conversation with some members of NIAEFEUP, they suggested a potential supervisor with whom she could speak to develop a master’s project in the field of medical imaging. And so it was. “We arranged a meeting and he thought it was interesting that I wanted to do my thesis in this area. He said straight away that he could be my supervisor,” she recalls. And so it was. She also undertook an internship at INESCTEC and worked as a teaching assistant in the Department of Informatics Engineering at FEUP.

Erasmus and ‘broadening horizons’

In 2024, she had her first mobility experience at the University of Zagreb in Croatia. “I did two Erasmus placements and had completely different experiences. On the first one, the aim wasn’t so much the academic side itself, but more the chance to live on my own, to test my independence. It was this experience that took away my fear of going to live in another country – which is, after all, my reality today,” explains Inês.
The following year, she also spent time at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, where she worked on her dissertation in the field of computer vision. “This period was very important academically, but also for understanding a different way of life. In Portugal, we’re used to seeing people wake up in the morning, go to work and return exhausted at the end of the day. Not there. Everything is done earlier, work finishes earlier too, and at the end of the day, everyone gets together. I felt that people lived much happier lives and I learnt a lot from that,” she recalls.

Her time in the two countries made her reflect on what to do after completing her master’s degree. She considered doing a PhD, but things took a different turn. Empowered by her experiences abroad – after all, living alone isn’t as difficult as it initially seemed – in her final year of her master’s degree she applied to a few tech giants, keen to learn as much as possible and explore career opportunities. And she landed her top choice.

The next step was at Google in Poland, where she is currently based. “The interview process was lengthy. We had interviews based on system design, where my university knowledge was important; and interviews consisting of competitive programming exercises. I’d like to take this opportunity to say that initiatives like CodeCamp@FEUP are very important, because they familiarise future students with this kind of dynamic from an early stage,” she shares.

“When we enter the job market, there’s a question I see many people my age asking: whether we should apply to a smaller company, like a start-up, or a larger one. On the one hand, I think start-ups often offer greater autonomy, the chance to explore different paths and take on more responsibility. On the other hand, larger companies allow you to work on solutions with an impact on a much larger scale. At the time, I felt that starting my career at a large company would be a valuable opportunity to learn from experienced teams and understand how solutions are built that reach millions of users.”

An open future

The early days at Google were about adapting to a new reality. An eight-hour working day became the new norm, which had to be managed as effectively as possible, in an attempt to replicate what he had experienced, for example, in the Netherlands – “you need to have plans to make the most of your time after work”. At the moment, he is contributing to the development of a Google Cloud product, BigQuery.

“I’ve learnt a great deal and I know that this is essentially what motivates me to be here. I really like the way they treat their staff, because I feel they promote a good work-life balance. The building where I work has 31 floors and each one has a recreation room and a piano; we have a library, a gym, a colouring room and a room with guitars. It’s a very different environment,” reflects the FEUP student.

As for the future, her ideas are quite clear: nothing is impossible. “I like to think that everything is open. I might even switch fields completely, if I think it makes sense. Who knows, maybe open a café at 40, have a farm at 50. I think my priority right now, and what I believe will shape my future, is the desire to be where I can learn the most, always in line with my interests at the moment.”

The University of Porto has announced the winners of the 2026 Incentive Award, recognising students who, in their first year of study, achieved exceptional results during the 2024/2025 academic year. Among the 23 award winners, the field of Informatics and Computing Engineering, taught jointly by FEUP and FCUP, stood out particularly strongly.

The students honoured with the 2026 Incentive Award include Rodrigo Roque (19,43) and Guilherme Cunha (19,43), both from the Bachelor’s Degree in Informatics and Computing Engineering (L.EIC), who achieved the highest average mark among all new students at the University of Porto; Filipe Zheng (19,3), from the Bachelor’s Degree in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science (L:IACD); Gustavo Bastos (19,05) and António Morais (18,55), also students from L.EIC, were recognised for their outstanding performance in their first year.

The Incentive Award, granted to the best first-year students across the 15 faculties, represents not only public recognition of merit but also an incentive for their future academic journey, being equivalent to the annual tuition fees for each course. This distinction will be formally presented at the University Day 2026 Ceremony.

With outstanding performance clearly above the average, students of Informatics and Computing Engineering continue to establish themselves in one of the strongest and most promising areas at U.Porto.

+ information: Notícias.UP

Born in Lamego, Daniel Freitas always heard his parents say he had the right profile to study medicine, but it was technology that ultimately shaped his academic and professional path.

An alumnus of the Integrated Master’s in Informatics and Computing Engineering at FEUP, Daniel has followed a career marked by innovation, public service and a commitment to sustainability. During his academic career, he distinguished himself through his active involvement in student representation, having chaired the Academic Federation of Porto (FAP) and the FEUP Students’ Association (AEFEUP), as well as serving on the University’s General Council.

He recently held the position of Director of Carbon Neutrality at Porto Ambiente, coordinating strategic climate impact projects such as the Porto Climate Pact and the European Mission of 100 Smart and Climate-Neutral Cities by 2030. His professional career has been strongly influenced by innovation and the digital transition, having served as deputy to the councillor for the Environment, Climate Transition and Innovation at Porto City Council, where he gained experience in citizen services and information systems.

At the same time, he is a lecturer at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Porto (FEP), maintaining a close connection with the University of Porto.

Awarded the University of Porto’s Active Citizenship Prize, Daniel Freitas is now a recognised voice at the intersection of innovation, sustainability and public service.

Find out more about Daniel Freitas at: Alumni Mundus_Casa Comum

The Innovative Teaching Practice Award (PPI), promoted by the Educational Innovation Unit of the Universidade do Porto Rectorate, annually recognises initiatives that present a solid, well-structured and well-founded pedagogical approach, capable of encouraging active student participation, integrating innovative resources and contributing to the overall improvement of teaching and learning.

This year, the PPI Award will distinguish six projects, from 11 teachers, who will be honoured during the University Day 2026 Ceremonial Session, on the 23rd of March.

Among them is the course “Putting Students First: Designing the Classroom of the Future,” by DEI teachers António Coelho, Manuel Firmino Torres and Kira Gama Rocha.

António Coelho explains that the course is an innovative pedagogical practice focused on active, collaborative and interdisciplinary learning, designed within the European University Alliance for Global Health (EUGLOH) consortium and implemented at the Universidade do Porto.

The initiative combines design thinking, gamification and problem-based learning methodologies in an intensive educational hackathon format, where participants from different areas, educational levels and nationalities co-create proposals to reimagine the classrooms of the future.
The model promotes essential cross-cutting skills, in particular critical thinking, creativity, intercultural communication and collaboration, in an environment that simulates real innovation ecosystems.

The practice was evaluated through quantitative and qualitative surveys, revealing high levels of satisfaction, perception of personal development and appreciation of the human and reflective dimension of the process. This course positions itself as a replicable prototype of transformative, student-centred education with a measurable impact on both individual learning and institutional culture.

All the award-winning projects can be found in the recent post published by the University of Porto.

The unprecedented pace of advancement in Artificial Intelligence (AI) is profoundly redefining the work of software engineers, as well as how they perceive their own professional identity. This transformation was recently highlighted in the article “AI is creating an identity crisis for coders: ‘I focused on this one thing, and now it doesn’t matter anymore'” by Business Insider, which featured contributions from Prof. Jorge Melegati, teacher and researcher at the Department of Informatics Engineering (DEI) of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto (FEUP).

The way we work in software engineering is changing at this rapid pace. In recent months, leading technology companies have begun to adopt AI tools that already write much of the code that previously took up long hours of programmers’ time. The role of these professionals has often shifted from code creators to AI supervisors, which means that the way they perceive their own professional identity is also undergoing profound changes.

According to Prof. Melegati, many software engineers chose this profession for the pleasure of “building things,” of transforming ideas into something real through code. It is this creative, and sometimes even artisanal, act that has fuelled the identity of generations of programmers. Now, as they see AI taking over much of this construction, some feel that “their work is becoming simpler and, as a result, less rewarding.”

The professor explains that, historically, tasks such as testing and validating software have been seen as less prestigious than creating code from scratch. And it is precisely these tasks that many professionals are being pushed towards as AI agents evolve. This change can cause discomfort, especially among those who have defined their professional identity based on creation.
Despite this, the research cited in the article points out that software engineering work will not disappear, but rather transform. Projections in the US show that roles related to software development and quality are expected to grow by 15% by 2034, well above the average for other professions. The requirements will be different, but there will still be a need for engineers with critical thinking, analytical skills and a systemic vision.

For the professor, this transition opens up a fundamental discussion: what does it mean to be a software engineer when code is no longer the focus of the work? Instead of shunning technology, he argues that we should view this moment as an opportunity. By freeing professionals from the most repetitive tasks, AI can allow them to focus on what really matters: understanding complex problems; dialoguing with users; thinking of solutions; and making informed decisions.

Prof. Jorge Melegati’s reflection reminds us that engineering is not just technical; it is, above all, human. And it is at this point, at the intersection between technology and meaning, that DEI and FEUP continue to shape international research.

Photo: Getty Images via Business Insider’s article