CMU Portugal’s Affiliated Ph.D. Programs initiative has selected 12 new students for its fifth edition. These candidates will begin their Ph.D. studies in the 2025/2026 academic year, pursuing research in cutting-edge areas of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) that align with the Program’s scope.
With scholarships funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), students will be fully hosted by Portuguese universities and have the opportunity to spend up to one year researching at Carnegie Mellon. Upon completion, candidates will receive a diploma from their Portuguese host University.
The Affiliated Ph.D. Programs focus on strengthening the collaboration between Portuguese higher education institutions and Portuguese companies through a strong partnership with Carnegie Mellon University. Candidates are encouraged to apply with work plans involving the collaboration of Portuguese companies operating in the ICT field. Throughout their Ph.D. journey, current students are collaborating closely with companies such as AMI, Laboratório da Paisagem, MEO, Museu de História Natural do Funchal, TEKEVER, VOID Software, and WOWSystems.
For the 2025/2026 academic year, CMU Portugal scholarships were awarded across various research areas: Computer Science (5), Electrical and Computer Engineering (2), Human-Computer Interaction (3), and Materials Science and Engineering (2).
The 12 Ph.D. candidates will be hosted by six Portuguese institutions: Faculdade de Instituto Superior Técnico da Universidade de Lisboa (4), Universidade do Minho (3), Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologias da Universidade Nova de Lisboa (2), Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto (1), Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto (1), and Universidade de Aveiro (1) .
During their research period at CMU, candidates will be hosted by seven different departments: Civil and Environmental Engineering (1), Computer Science (3), Electrical and Computer Engineering (2), Human-Computer Interaction Institute (3), Materials Science and Engineering (1), Mechanical Engineering (1) , and Robotics Institute (1) .
All candidates were selected after a rigorous selection process by a committee of faculty members from Portuguese Universities and CMU. Here are the new Affiliated Ph.D. students by research area:
Computer Science
- Ana Jorge Almeida, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade do Porto, Programa Doutoral em Ciência de Computadores.
- Hugo Pereira, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa; Programa Doutoral em Informática.
- José Afonso, Instituto Superior Técnico da Universidade de Lisboa; Programa Doutoral em Engenharia Informática e de Computadores.
- José Mendes, Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto; Programa Doutoral em Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores.
- Lourenço Mourão, Instituto Superior Técnico da Universidade de Lisboa; Programa Doutoral em Engenharia Informática e de Computadores.
Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Américo Alves, Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa; Programa Doutoral em Engenharia Electrotecnica e Computadores.
- Filipa Mota, Universidade do Minho; Programa Doutoral em Engenharia Eletrónica e de Computadores.
Human-Computer Interaction
- Beste Soybilge, Instituto Superior Técnico da Universidade de Lisboa, Programa Doutoral em Medias Digitais.
- Gabriela Silva, Universidade de Aveiro, Programa Doutoral em Engenharia Mecânica.
- Lavinia Rossini, Instituto Superior Técnico da Universidade de Lisboa, Programa Doutoral em Medias Digitais.
Materials Sciences and Engineering
- Duarte Ribeiro, Universidade do Minho; Programa Doutoral em Engenharia de Materiais.
- Genesis Puma, Universidade do Minho; International Doctoral Programme in Sustainable Built Envirornment.