The CMU Portugal Program hosted an Info Session on April 23rd to guide potential candidates to apply to the Open Calls for Mobility Programs “Visiting Students” and “Visiting Faculty & Researchers”, which is open until May 14th.
To date, the CMU Portugal Program has supported 76 Visiting Students and 100 Faculty and Researchers’ visits to Carnegie Mellon University.
João Magalhães, the National Co-director, welcomed the participants to the session, which was moderated by the Program’s Executive Director, Silvia Castro.
João Fumega, CMU Portugal’s Education Officer, gave an overview of both CMU Portugal Mobility initiatives, focusing on the application process and main requirements. Megan Berty, CMU Portugal Associate Director at CMU, spoke next on the CMU requirements and the support available from the Coordination Office in Pittsburgh.
The session also featured insights from André Clérigo, a Master’s graduate in Computer Engineering and Telematics currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the Universidade de Aveiro and conducting research at Instituto de Telecomunicações. André shared his experience as a 2025 Visiting Student, during which he was hosted by Professor Peter Steenkiste in the Computer Science Department. His research focuses on Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), specifically developing solutions to improve the safety of Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) within the framework of smart cities.
Christof Torres, Assistant Professor at Técnico and researcher at INESC-ID, also participated as a guest speaker to share his experience as a 2025 Visiting Faculty and Researcher. At CMU he was hosted at the Software and Societal Systems Department and the CyLab, by Professor Nicolas Christin. During his time at CMU, they worked on a research paper on detection and analysis of data obfuscation techniques employed by users within smart contracts deployed on the Ethereum blockchain.
Both guests characterized the application process as simple and efficient. . André highlighted the benefit of connecting early on with other visiting students for advice on accommodation and other logistical details, allowing an easier adaptation at CMU.
When asked to summarize their experience, both guests stressed the impact of the people, beyond scientific outcomes. André continues to collaborate with his supervisor on his thesis while Christof valued the integration with faculty and the exchange of ideas in the labs, highlighting how the university’s resources and support systems positively shaped his experience.
Both guests found that the CMU experience offered more than just scientific outcomes, allowing them to benefit from campus life, sports, and cultural activities.
Finally, to wrap up the session, there was a 15-minute Q&A, which allowed the participants to ask questions to the panelists.
Applications for both Calls are open until May 14th.
For further questions about all our initiatives, please visit our website, or contact us at apply@cmuportugal.org.