Portuguese Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre made his first official visit to Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in Pittsburgh, alongside the Secretary of State for Science, Ana Paiva, to attend the 2024 edition of the CMU Portugal Summit.
The two-day event brought together the Portuguese and CMU communities for a series of discussions and an overview of the CMU Portugal Program, aiming to support the Minister’s reflection and evaluation of the partnership’s future.
The Program has been building a strong community of supporters, including CMU Faculty, Provost and Chief Academic Officer James H. Garrett, and the Dean of the College of Engineering Bill Sanders, who warmly welcomed the Portuguese delegation to Pittsburgh.
In attendance from the CMU Portugal Governance were also CMU Portugal Directors Inês Lynce, João Magalhães, and José M. F. Moura, along with scientific directors Lia Patrício (FEUP, INESC TEC), Paulo Marques ( Feedzai), Fernando Velez (UBI) and João Paulo Cunha (FEUP I INESC TEC). The Portuguese delegation also included João Paulo Costeira, Faculty member (Técnico); Nuno Nunes, former CMU Portugal National Co-Director (Técnico I ITI); Paulo Dimas, VP of Product Innovation at Unbabel; Pedro Oliveira, Dean of the Nova School of Business and Economics and Helena Canhão, Dean of the Nova Medical School. Representing the coordination offices in both Pittsburgh and Portugal were Sílvia Castro, Executive Director in Portugal, Mariana Carmo, CMU Portugal Communications Officer, and Megan Berty, Associate Director at CMU.
In addition, more than 30 CMU faculty members and researchers from 12 different CMU departments, 22 CMU Portugal Dual Degree and Affiliated Ph.D. students and 18 CMU Portugal visiting Ph.D. & MSc students and researchers actively participated in the activities.
The Summit was an excellent platform to shape a shared vision for the partnership’s future. It brought together partners from both sides of the Atlantic, fostering networking opportunities, building new connections, and laying the foundation for future collaborations.
But let’s take a closer look at the work conducted during the two days of the 2024 CMU Portugal Summit.
The visit began with a welcome dinner on Sunday, November 10th, to welcome Minister Fernando Alexandre and Secretary of State Ana Paiva hosted by CMU leadership represented by James H. Garrett and Bill Sanders.
The first day started with a tour of the CoFRIDA Lab, hosted by Jean Oh, Associate Research Professor at the Robotics Institute. During the visit, the delegation had the opportunity to interact with Robotics Institute’s students, who shared the cutting-edge research they are developing at the lab, including FRIDA, a robotic arm equipped with a paintbrush powered by artificial intelligence in addition to other amazing prototyped being developed at the Lab.
FRIDA, named after Frida Kahlo, stands for Framework and Robotics Initiative for Developing Arts. The project is led by Schaldenbrand with RI faculty members Jean Oh and Jim McCann, and is designed to collaborate with humans to create works of art.
The CMU team asked FRIDA to paint a portrait of the Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, and the result was an impressive mixture of art and technology.
The morning of the Summit was followed by a meeting between Minister Fernando Alexandre, the Secretary of State Ana Paiva, CMU Portugal Directors, and Tom Mitchell, the Founders University Professor of the Machine Learning Department at CMU.
Next on the agenda was a Session on Engineering and Public Policy (EPP), attended by the Portuguese Delegation, starting with an introduction by Peter Adams, Thomas Lord, Professor of Engineering and Head of the Engineering and Public Policy Department (EPP).
The session included presentations by Lia Patricio, CMU Portugal’s Scientific Director, providing an overview of EPP’s impact; Afonso Amaral, a Dual Degree Ph.D. alumnus in Engineering and Public Policy, discussing his research on the European international competitiveness landscape; and his CMU supervisor, Erica Fuchs, Kavčić-Moura Professor in Engineering and Public Policy, presenting on “Future Research Directions.” The session also counted the participation of Nicholas Christin, Professor; Department Head, Software and Societal Systems; Pedro Ferreira, Professor, Heinz and EPP, Director for Initiative Teaching+Education Analytics; Valerie Karplus, Professor, EPP; Associate Director of the Wilton E. Scott Institute for Energy; Granger Morgan, Hamerschlag University Professor of Engineering; and Baruch Fischhoff, Howard Heinz University Professor in EPP and CMIST.
To close the EPP session, CMU Portugal Directors and government representatives joined the speakers for an engaging discussion on Engineering and Public Policy.
Lunchtime allowed the CMU Portugal Dual Degree & Affiliated Ph.D. students currently in Pittsburgh to meet. Candidates got the chance to share their experience under the program with the Minister and the Secretary of State. The session was chaired by Inês Lynce, CMU Portugal National Co-director, and was attended by 22 students (complete list below). The networking lunch was a great chance to learn more about everyone’s research and for students to share their reflections on their experience at Carnegie Mellon University with Government representatives.
To start the afternoon, a meeting took place between Minister Fernando Alexandre, the Secretary of State Ana Paiva, CMU Portugal Directors, and Manuela Veloso, Head of J.P. Morgan Chase AI Research & Herbert A. Simon University Professor Emerita at CMU to discuss how AI will shape the future of research and education.
The event moved on to faculty presentations featuring Carnegie Mellon University Ph.D. advisors and researchers. The session was chaired by João Paulo Costeira, CMU Portugal faculty member, and included Justine Sherry, A. Nico Habermann Associate Professor at the Computer Science Department and supervisor of Ph.D. students Miguel Ferreira and Francisco Pereira; Zac Manchester, Assistant Professor at the Robotics Institute and supervisor of Pedro Cachim. He was the Principal Investigator at CMU of the 2021 CMU Portugal Exploratory project Prometheus, which developed the 5cm cubic satellite “PROMETHEUS-1” to be launched to Space in January 2025. Claire Le Goues, Professor at the Software and Societal Systems Department and supervisor of CMU Portugal students Daniel Ramos and Claudia Mamede was the last to share her experience with the Program.
After the faculty presentations, the Minister and Secretary of State had one-on-one meetings with Zico Kolter, Professor & Department Head of the Machine Learning Department, followed by a presentation by Graham Neubig, Associate Professor, Language Technologies Institute and CMU Portugal national Co-director João Magalhães.
The Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy at CMU is a leading institution that merges technology, analytics, and public policy to develop innovative solutions to complex societal challenges. The delegation had the opportunity to learn more about the work being developed by the College and by the CMU Block Center for Technology and Society in a session led by Heinz College Dean Ramayya Krishnan alongside Pedro Ferreira, Professor at Heinz College and the Engineering and Public Policy (EPP) Department; Christophe Combemale, Assistant Research Professor, Engineering and Public Policy (virtual) and Majd Sakr, Teaching Professor at Computer Science Department.
The last Session of the day was hosted by Richard Scheines, Dean of the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Ken Koedinger, Hillman Professor & METALS Program Director, on the Science of Learning, with a look into research and education centered on humanity, focusing on an interdisciplinary work to address complex global issues and advance human understanding.
At the conclusion of day 1, the delegation attended a dinner hosted by Carnegie Mellon University Provost James H. Garrett with other Carnegie Mellon University faculty from across departments, including Manuela Veloso, Head of J.P. Morgan Chase AI Research & Herbert A. Simon University Professor Emerita at CMU; Pedro Ferreira, Professor, Heinz and EPP, Director for Initiative Teaching + Education Analytics; Ruben Martins, Assistant Research Professor, Computer Science; Granger Morgan, Hamerschlag University Professor of Engineering; Sridhar Tayur, Research Chair, Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering; Limin Jia, Research Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering and Irene Fonseca, Kavčić-Moura University Professor, Mathematical Sciences.
Day 2
The second day kicked off with a visit to Carnegie Mellon’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute, where Brad Myers, the Charles M. Geschke Director, and Professor, delivered a presentation on the HCII work to develop human-centered software, services, and systems that improve people’s lives through technology. The visit included a guided experience to the Interactive Structures Lab by Assistant Professor Alexandra Ion and Associate Professor Chris Harrison, showcasing the lab’s interactive computational design tools research. The tour provided an excellent opportunity for the delegation, the Minister, and the Secretary of State to engage with remarkable prototypes and experience firsthand the groundbreaking research being conducted at the lab.
The Soft Machines Lab at Carnegie Mellon University Robotics Institute has recently moved to new facilities. The delegation had the opportunity to visit the new lab during a tour led by its head, Carmel Majidi, Clarence H. Adamson Professor, CMU Department of Mechanical Engineering (MechE), who shared the cutting-edge research being conducted in areas such as soft robotics, stretchable circuits, and printable conductive ink, among other innovative technologies.
Carmel Majidi has been the supervisor for many CMU Portugal students, including Marta Calisto Freitas, a Dual Degree Ph.D. student who is currently working at his Lab, and Gabriel Santos, a 2024 Visiting Student, both from Universidade de Coimbra, who welcomed the visitors and shared their work. Both students from the Universidade de Coimbra were at the Lab and shared insights into their ongoing work. Under the scope of CMU Portugal, Majidi has been working closely with Mahmoud Tavakoli, Director of the Soft and Printed Microelectronics Lab at ISR Coimbra from Universidade de Coimbra, both as PIs of CMU Portugal projects WoW and Exoskins.
Day 2 included a new round of CMU Portugal Faculty & researchers presentations featuring insights from Ph.D. advisors and researchers. The session was chaired by Fernando Velez, CMU Portugal Scientific Director, from Universidade da Beira Interior, with Pulkit Grover, Professor at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, and Soummya Kar, the Buhl Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering. Grover and Kar shared their research and insights on their connections with CMU Portugal with an audience of more than 30 participants.
The following lab tour was led by Maysam Chamanzar, Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, offering a glimpse into cutting-edge research focused on understanding the neural basis of brain function and harnessing its potential. Chamanzar’s lab develops innovative tools and techniques to advance the explanation of brain function and dysfunction.
The second networking lunch of the Summit centered around CMU Portugal Mobility Initiatives, highlighting the experiences of visiting students and faculty & researchers. Participants had the opportunity to share their journeys and insights with the Minister and delegation, fostering discussions about the benefits and impact of their experiences at Carnegie Mellon University in their research work.
Presentations included Alexandra Mendes, Assistant Professor at FEUP, a Visiting Researcher at Carnegie Mellon in 2023 hosted at the CyLab Security and Privacy Institute. Her research at CMU set the ground for winning, among other recognitions, the FLAD Atlantic Security Award (more here). Also presenting were Nuno Rodrigues (Visiting Faculty, HCII, Instituto Politécnico do Cávado e do Ave) and Martim Afonso (Visiting Student, CS, IST).
Innovation is a key area of the Program, and since its launch in 2006, 26 startup companies have been supported by CMU Portugal activities.
In a Session dedicated to Innovation under the program, CMU Portugal Scientific Director João Paulo Cunha introduced different successful cases of initiatives connected to the Program.
Meredith Grelli, Director of Project Olympus, a part of the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship, was also a speaker. Founded in 2007 at the School of Computer Science, Project Olympus provides support and resources to faculty, students, alumni, and staff aspiring to transform their research and ideas into startups. So far, it’s helped launch more than 1,400 startups. Project Olympus is one of the many programs and activities of the university’s Swartz Center. Meredith also discussed their role in the support of the teams selected under the CMU Portugal Patient Innovation Bootcamp.
The Patient Innovation (PI) platform was co-founded by Pedro Oliveira, Dean of Nova School of Business and Economics, and Helena Canhão (Nova Medical School), who was also present at the events. Launched in 2014 as a continuation of the CMU Portugal project TEIPL, the platform was presented by Dean Oliveira. In April 2024, the CMU Portugal Program, supported by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), signed an agreement with both Institutions to launch the CMU Portugal Patient Innovation Accelerator. This joint initiative is a new milestone in the healthcare innovation landscape in Portugal, aiming to boost advanced healthcare solutions and foster entrepreneurship in the sector.
Afonso Tinoco, CMU Portugal Dual Degree Ph.D. student in Computer Science, shared his experience under the Program, which led him to start his company Flashbots, with initial support from America’s Seed Fund, a program within the National Science Foundation (NSF) and housed within the Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships.
Paulo Marques, co-founder of the Portuguese unicorn company Feedzai and founding partner of TUMO Coimbra, shared insights from his entrepreneurial journey. His pathway is closely tied to the CMU Portugal program. He was the first faculty member from Universidade de Coimbra to be appointed as an adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon and the first Director of the master’s in software engineering on the Portuguese side.
During his speech, he also thanked the Program for its role in the foundation of Feedzai, now a billion-dollar company. He specifically acknowledged the support of José M. F. Moura, who believed in and advocated for the initiative when it was merely an ambitious vision. Today, Paulo remains one of the CMU Portugal Program’s strongest supporters, serving as its Scientific Director and inspiring others through his example.
Paulo Dimas, VP of Product Innovation at Unbabel and Chief Executive Officer of the Center for Responsible AI, also shared an overview of the role of the CMU Portugal Program in the foundation of Unbabel. The company was launched in 2013 by Vasco Pedro, a CMU’s Language Technology Institute (LTI) graduate and a CMU Portugal project post-doctoral fellow. André Martins, CMU Portugal alumnus, is the VP of Artificial Intelligence Research. Recently, the company led CMU Portugal’s large-scale collaborative project MAIA, in which Paulo Dimas was the project’s principal investigator. Dimas is also the CEO of the Center for Responsible AI, a consortium project that received 78 million euros in funding from the Programa de Recuperação e Resiliência (PRR), and shared the latest developments on their latest venture Halo, which combines generative AI with a non-invasive neural interface transforming patterns of bioelectrical signals into language.
To conclude the Summit Sessions, Nuno Nunes and Paulo Marques, introduced the CMU Portugal Academy, whose first edition was launched in September 2024. Nuno Nunes, former National Co-Director of the partnership (2018 – 2024), is one of the founders of this advanced training center in digital technologies based in Lisbon, which was developed through a collaborative effort between the Instituto Superior Técnico, Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, NOVA School of Science and Technology, and Carnegie Mellon University, with the support from the Santander Portugal Foundation.
Paulo Marques, a faculty member for the “Product Management” course, provided an overview of this inaugural edition that features three advanced training programs: AI, Data Science, and Machine Learning; Product Management; and User Experience and Service Design. Marques also shared his vision for the academy’s future, emphasizing its role in fostering innovation and excellence in digital technologies.
More about the Academy here.
To conclude the CMU Portugal Summit, CMU Provost James Garrett and Dean Bill Sanders joined the Minister, the Secretary of State, and CMU Portugal Directors for a closing meeting.
As the event ended, one of the primary goals was successfully achieved: showcasing the program’s accomplishments in education, research, and innovation over the years. Looking into the future, the event also served as a platform for participants to connect, share ideas, and explore new opportunities and synergies, setting the stage for the next phase of the Program. As we look ahead, the Program is thrilled about the upcoming phase and confident that the achievements of past years will not only be preserved but taken to new heights.
The future is bright, and we are ready to start the next chapter: CMU Portugal 2025–2030!
Students at CMU who attended the event:
- Afonso Tinoco, CS Dual Degree PhD Student
- André Costa, CS Dual Degree PhD Student
- António Brito, EPP Affiliated PhD Student
- Brissa Acevedo, EPP Dual Degree PhD Student
- Daniel Chechelnitsky, LTI Dual Degree PhD Student
- Diogo Silva, LTI Affiliated PhD Student
- Diogo Tavares, LTI Affiliated PhD Student
- Duarte Sousa, HCI Affiliated PhD Student
- João Coelho, LTI Dual Degree PhD Student
- João Tomé, ECE Dual Degree PhD Student
- José Gomes, ECE Dual Degree PhD Student
- Keivan Kaboutari, ECE Affiliated PhD Student
- Marta Freitas, ECE Dual Degree PhD Student
- Maximilian Vieweg, EPP Dual Degree PhD Student
- Pedro Mendes, S3D Dual Degree PhD Student
- Pedro Cachim, ECE Dual Degree PhD Student
- Pedro Ferreira, HCI Affiliated PhD Student
- Reyhaneh Mohsenzadeh Yazdi, EPP Dual Degree PhD Student
- Shuhao Ma, HCI Affiliated PhD Student
- Xiyu Deng, ECE Dual Degree PhD Student
CMU Portugal Visiting Students and Faculty who attended the event::
- Alcides Fonseca, RI Visiting Faculty
- Alessandro Gianola, CS Visiting Faculty
- Ana Isabel Neto, RI Visiting Faculty
- Anna Bernard, Heinz Visiting Faculty
- Carlos Carvalho, LTI VIsiting Student
- Diogo Araújo, RI Visiting Student
- Fabio Chalub, Math Visiting Faculty
- Frederico Vicente, ECE Visiting Student
- Gabriel Santos, MECHE Visiting Student
- Gonçalo Mesquita, RI Visiting Student
- Gonçalo Frazão, RI Visiting Student
- João Ferreira, ECE Visiting Faculty
- João Mesquita, Bio Med Visiting Student
- José Pereira, CS Visiting Faculty
- Martim Afonso, CS Visiting Student
- Nuno Rodrigues, HCI Visiting Faculty
- Sahil Kumar, HCI Visiting Student
- Tiago Santos, ECE Visiting Student
