TEAM

Armando Brito Mendes obtained his PhD in Systems Engineering in 2005 from the University of Lisbon. He is an Associate Professor at the University of the Azores and a member of the IS2E research nucleus, part of LIACC. He works in the area(s) of Computer and Information Sciences and Data Science.

Alexandra Nunes is an Assistant Researcher at CRAS and an Invited Assistant Professor at FEUP. She recently completed her PhD in underwater object recognition and scene reconstruction. As a result, she has experience in processing acoustic data, particularly from mechanical scanning and forward-looking sonars, as well as visual data.

Ana Hipólito is a geologist and currently works as a Project Manager at Trisolaris Advanced Technologies. Being enthusiastic about natural processes, she holds a degree in Geology (2005) from the Faculty of Sciences, University of Lisbon, and a Master’s in Volcanology and Geological Risk Assessment (2009) from the University of the Azores. She is currently completing her PhD, focusing on offshore and onshore morphostructural mapping and paleoseismological studies in the Azores. As a member of the MPB – Marine Palaeontology and Biogeography Lab at CIBIO-Azores, University of the Azores, she has actively collaborated with multidisciplinary national and international research teams. Her work focuses on volcanic islands’ evolution, encompassing tectonics, coastal dynamics, coastal evolution, tsunami deposits, and paleobiogeographical studies in the islands of Macaronesia. 

Ana Rita Gaspar is an assistant researcher at CRAS and an invited assistant professor at FEUP. She recently completed her PhD in explorer a hybrid perception solution with optical and acoustic data for close-range localization, addressing place recognition mechanisms and challenging visibility conditions. 

Flávio José Quaresma is a civil engineer working for the company Porto dos Açores, S.A., participating in various tasks, including Manager and Coordinator of procedures in Studies, Projects, Project Revisions, Contracts, and Inspections, Chairman of the Jury, representative of the Owner of the Work, and Director of Supervision or designer. He is currently the coordinator of the Port Project and Works Department of Portos dos Açores, S.A., responsible for infrastructure investments in the various ports in the Autonomous Region under its jurisdiction. 

João Santos is a Data Engineer at Trisolaris Advanced Technologies. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Informatics Engineering from the Porto School of Engineering (ISEP), where he also completed a Master's in Knowledge and Information Systems. To further expand his expertise, João pursued a postgraduate qualification in Big Data and Decision-Making, also at ISEP. During his academic journey, João became involved in scientific research as a member of the GECAD research group at ISEP. His strong academic ties to ISEP also led him to take on a teaching role as a university lecturer. Later, he had the opportunity to continue lecturing at the University of the Azores.

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 Nuno Cruz coordinates CRAS at INESC TEC. He is a senior Member of IEEE, Associate Editor of the IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering, and chairs the Portuguese Chapter of OES. He has 120+ publications and 25+ years of experience in the development, customization and operation of marine robotic vehicles.