In 2026, CMU Portugal will host 19 visiting research scholars from Portuguese Institutions at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) in the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) field: 7 faculty & researchers and 12 master’s students & recent master’s graduates. The CMU Portugal’s Mobility initiatives “Visiting Students” and “Visiting Faculty & Researchers” are supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT).
The 7 selected candidates for the Visiting Faculty & Researchers initiative will spend up to two months at CMU, collaborating with peers and engaging in ICT research, education, and innovation. This immersive experience allows them to gain valuable insights into the university’s culture and best practices. Participants will explore a diverse range of ICT topics, such as AI and machine learning, photonic systems, intelligent transportation, and advanced software engineering. The cohort represents 7 Portuguese research institutions: FEUP (1), INESC-ID (2), INESC TEC (1), Instituto de Telecomunicações (2), Instituto Superior Técnico (3), Universidade do Minho (1), and Universidade Lusófona (1). They will be hosted across 6 CMU departments: Electrical and Computer Engineering (two participants), along with one participant each in Computer Science, Engineering and Public Policy, Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, Materials Science and Engineering, and the Robotics Institute. To date, this initiative has supported 105 participants from across Portugal.
Under the CMU Portugal Visiting Students initiative, 12 Master’s students and recent graduates will spend up to two months conducting ICT research at Carnegie Mellon University. Mentored by leading faculty, these students will fully immerse themselves in CMU’s academic environment. Their research covers a broad spectrum of ICT topics, including AI and machine learning, software testing and formal methods, human-computer interaction, robotics and control systems, and data-driven optimization. The cohort is affiliated with 3 academic institutions: Instituto Superior Técnico (9 students), INESC-ID (1), and NOVA School of Science and Technology (1); and 1 private technology group, GMV (1). The students will be hosted across 6 CMU departments: Computer Science (3), Electrical and Computer Engineering (3), Human-Computer Interaction Institute (2), Language Technologies Institute (2), Civil and Environmental Engineering (1), and Mathematical Sciences (1).
The Visiting Students initiative has supported 88 students or recent graduates, including the 2026 co-hort.
2026 Visiting Faculty & Researchers:
- Ana Bastos, Researcher at Instituto de Telecomunicações (Instituto Superior Técnico), hosted at Department of Materials Science and Engineering, by Elias Towe.
Research Topic:Optics, photonic systems, and advanced image processing techniques applied to hardware security - Auri Vicenzi, Assistant Professor at Faculdade de Engenharia da Universidade do Porto & INESC-TEC, hosted at the Electrical Computer and Engineering Department, by Leonardo da Silva Sousa.
Research Topic: AI-driven software testing, quality assurance, and explicability - Dushantha Nalin Jayakody, Assistant Professor at Universidade Lusófona, hosted at the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, by Jon Peha.
Research Topic: AI-native vehicular communication systems, integrating deep reinforcement learning, graph-based learning, and predictive interference management for beyond-5G and 6G V2X networks - Lília Dias, Post-doctoral researcher at Instituto de Telecomunicações (Instituto Superior Técnico), hosted at the Electrical Computer and Engineering Department, by Elias Towe.
Research Topic: Design and implement hybrid photonic-digital computing architectures, with particular emphasis on machine learning models and optoelectronic integration - Nuno Miguel Luís, Assistant Professor at Instituto Superior Técnico, hosted at the Robotics Institute by John Dolan.
Research Topic: Autonomous intelligent transportation systems, and cooperative vehicular technologies - Telmo Pinto, Assistant Professor at Universidade do Minho, hosted at the Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, by Peter Zhang.
Research Topic: Integer programming formulations and decomposition methods for vehicle routing problems - Vasco Manquinho, Associate Professor with Habilitation at Instituto Superior Técnico & INESC-ID, hosted at the Computer Science Department, by Ruben Martins.
Research Topic: Automated reasoning and formal methods in software engineering
Visiting Students:
- Amélia Pinto, Master Sudent at Instituto Superior Técnico, hosted at the Department of Mathematical Sciences, by Florian Frick.
Research Topic: Topological Methods for Fair Division on Graphs - Diana Fernandes, Master Sudent at Instituto Superior Técnico, hosted at the Human-Computer Interaction Institute, by Adam Perer.
Research Topic: Interactive Counterfactual Explanations for AI-Assisted Mammography Screening - Diogo Rodrigues, Master Sudent at Instituto Superior Técnico, hosted at the Computer Science Deparment, by Ruben Martins.
Research Topic: MaxSAT Approaches to Urban Vehicle Routing - Hugo Pereira, Guidance, Navigation, and Control Engineer at GMV, hosted at the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, by Soummya Kar.
Research Topic: GPU parallel algorithms for model predictive control - Hui Yu, Master Sudent at Instituto Superior Técnico, hosted at the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, by Limin Jia.
Research Topic: Type-Driven Test Generation for JavaScript - Luís Martins, Master Sudent at Instituto Superior Técnico, hosted at the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department, by Mario Bérges.
Research Topic: Data-Driven Demand Response and Flexibility Management in Industrial Kitchens. - Martim Jales, Master Sudent at Instituto Superior Técnico, hosted at the Computer Science Department by Ruben Martins.
Research Topic: Scaling Symbolic Classification via Cluster-Guided Preprocessing - Miguel Carvalho, Researcher at INESC-ID, hosted at the Language Technologies Institute, by Chenyan Xiong.
Research Topic: Discrete Visual Focus for Efficient High-ResolutionVision-Language Models - Miguel Marques, Master Sudent at Instituto Superior Técnico, hosted at the Computer Science Department by Aayush Jain.
Research Topic: Cryptographic constructions based on the Learning Parity with Noise problem
- Pedro Ferreira, PhD student at NOVA School of Science and Technology, hosted at the Human-Computer Interaction Institute, by Jessica Hammer.
Research Topic: Enhancing VR Walking with Adaptive Systems: A Procedural Approach to Dynamic Virtual Environments in Cultural Heritage - Pedro Teigão, Master Student at Instituto Superior Técnico, hosted at the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, by Soummya Kar.
Research Topics: Neural Operators and Stochastic Dynamics: From Stability Analysis to Epidemiological Modelling - Rodrigo Laia, Master Student at Instituto Superior Técnico, hosted at the Language Technologies Institute, by Alon Lavie.
Research Topic: Generative-AI-based robust and effective automated evaluation framework and system for translation between language variants.