Professors and supervisors gathered on 16 March in the Great Hall of Alameda campus to welcome the new Técnico doctoral students (third cycle). According to the president of Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa, Rogério Colaço, the event was “a historic day”, as it was the first welcome ceremony for Técnico doctoral students.
Leonel Sousa, professor and coordinator of the Técnico Doctoral School, highlighted the “long tradition and significant impact of doctoral programmes” at the School, with a brief retrospective of its history, which began in 1962, the year in which the first doctoral degree was awarded.
The Técnico Doctoral School, established in 2024, brings together 25 research units, over 50 research groups and seven associate laboratories. Miguel Ayala Botto, a professor at Técnico, presented these structures to the students, explaining that, in addition to the facilities, Técnico fosters a scientific community aimed at “making the journey ahead as rewarding as possible”. At the end of his presentation, he encouraged the new doctoral students to “contribute intellectually” and participate actively in “building a scientific culture”.
“Técnico is a renowned research institution; the work carried out here is remarkable, and the same applies to the Department of Engineering and Management, where I conduct my research focused on home hospitalization, which is considered one of the best in Portugal”, explained Blessing Ikechukwu, one of the international students who is now beginning her PhD in Engineering and Management (DeGest).
Holly Merelie is a nurse and, together with Blessing Ikechukwu, is developing a PhD project at the Centre for Management Studies of Instituto Superior Técnico (CEGIST), focused on optimising the redistribution of resources in home care services. “I would like to improve my scientific skills and build a network of contacts with other researchers and faculty within my field of study”, she explained.
Miguel Graça, a Técnico alumnus, is continuing his Master’s thesis in Electrical and Computer Engineering, conducting research in the field of computational biology. “I hope my research will have an impact on healthcare, particularly in identifying genetic variants associated with diseases”, he shares.
Inês Moreira is also following on from her master’s thesis completed at Técnico. She is exploring machine learning methods applied to anomaly detection in the search for new physics at the Laboratory of Instrumentation and Experimental Particle Physics (LIP), partly in collaboration with CERN. Her work aims to “contribute to the ATLAS experiment and make analyses more efficient, exploring new forms of analysis in particle physics”, explained the student.
At the Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores – Microsistemas e Nanotecnologias (INESC MN), André Ribeiro, a student of electrical and computer engineering, aims to apply the latest advances in neuroscience to the development of hardware and algorithms. With a background in mathematics as well, he aims to “bring the magic of mathematics to life and create elegant solutions”, with a strong emphasis on “achieving practical applications”.
During the ceremony, Francisco Melo, Vice-President of Técnico for Academic Affairs, outlined the academic journey from admission to the doctoral thesis defence. Raquel Aires Barros, a professor at Técnico, discussed the role of the supervisor, while Carolina Sequeira, a Chemical Engineering doctoral student, shared her experience, highlighting the importance of taking advantage of “the opportunities and challenges that take [us] out of our comfort zone”.
The main student support services were also presented, which include the Postgraduate Division, the Academic Development Office, the Intellectual Property Office, the International Relations Division and the Técnico PhD Hub.
The session concluded with an appeal from Rogério Colaço to the new PhD students: “Be the ambassadors and the voice of Instituto Superior Técnico”. The welcome day included a guided tour and activities organised by the Técnico PhD Hub.
