Tomás Alves
Short Personal Interview
Tomás Alves was born in 1994, in Lisbon Portugal. He is an INESC-ID Researcher and PhD Student since 2017, integrating the Scientific Area Graphics and Interaction (GI).
How did you get to INESC-ID?
I applied and was selected to be part of the GameCourse project (PTDC/CCI-CIF/30754/2017).
INESC-ID is…
one of the strongest research institutions in Portugal.
Research project(s) under development
My PhD topic focuses on developing personality-aware information visualization systems to improve user interaction and decision making.
How would you explain in the most accessible and least technical language possible, what is the application / expected results of this (these) project (s)?
The technology will help you make the best decisions based on your personality.
Tell us about your favorite project so far (or one of them)?
The PhD. I have had a lot of opportunities to collaborate with fellow colleagues in interesting topics both in and outside my research area.
What are the biggest challenges of working in research in this area?
Our research studies are utterly dependent of participants to provide data for our analysis. This COVID phase just exacerbated this need and put a lot of studies on hold.
What book are you currently reading?
Authority, by Jeff VanderMeer
How would you explain to your child (or your parents or grandparents) what your job is? How do you explain what means to be a researcher in this area?
I am working towards building technology more helpful and reliable by making it adapt itself to your own personality. Being a researcher in Human-Computer Interaction means that the user and their individual characteristics must always come first while developing technology.
How do you see the mission of INESC-ID “to produce added value to people and society, supporting the response of public policies to scientific, health, environmental, cultural, social, economic and political challenges, in the fields of Computer Science and Electrical and Computer Engineering”?
A cornerstone in the digital structure of Portugal.
…
tomas.alves@tecnico.ulisboa.pt
Linkedin Profile Link
https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomas-martins-alves/
Academic Degree *
Bologna Master Degree in Information Systems and Computer Engineering – Alameda
Training / Research Area(s) *
Human-Computer Interaction, Personality Psychology, Decision Making
INESC-ID Scientific Area
Upcoming Events
OLISSIPO Workshop: “How to design a graphical abstract” with Dr. Rita Félix (CNC-UC)
On April 19, the OLISSIPO project will host an 8-hour workshop titled “How to design a graphical abstract” with Dr. Rita Félix, a science communicator, illustrator and designer from CNC Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology (Coimbra, Portugal). Registration is free and seating is limited.
Registration Deadline: April 5 | Register here (free but mandatory)
Date & Time: April 19, 09h00-18h00 ( 8-hours)
Where: INESC-ID, R. Alves Redol 9, 1000-029 Lisboa | Room 9 (Auditorium), Ground Floor
Summary: “How to design a graphical abstract” Workshop aims to explain what a graphical abstract is, and give you design tools and tips on how to create a better, clear and engaging graphical abstract. This workshop is tailored to give you tools and improve your graphical abstract, without having to learn how to use a new software program (like Adobe Illustrator). Bring your graphical abstract, share it with the class, work on it and take home a new version.
Short Bio: Rita Félix is a science communicator, illustrator and designer, with life sciences research experience. Currently working as the Institutional Communication Manager and Designer at CNC-UC. She completed her PhD in Neuroscience in 2020, in the Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme. After that, she enrolled in a Digital Illustration Specialization Course to further develop her visualization and design skills. Worked as a Scientific Graphic Designer at Science Crunchers, a science communication company, where she developed multiple graphical abstracts, article figures, infographics, diagrams, illustrations, visual identity, logos and webdesign for companies, scientific institutions and Horizon 2020 consortia. More information at https://ritallfelix.wixsite.com/portfolio .
INESC-ID talk: “Rise of the AI-Empowered End User Software Engineer” by Ed Ayers and Andy Gordon (Cogna)
On April 19, INESC-ID will host a talk by Ed Ayers and Andy Gordon from the startup Cogna. The talk is titled “Rise of the AI-Empowered End User Software Engineer” and is organised by INESC-ID researcher Nuno Lopes.
Date & Time: April 19, 15h00 -16h00
Where: INESC-ID, Rua Alves Redol, 9, 1000-029 Lisboa | Room 9 (Auditorium), Ground Floor
Summary:
“What if natural language really is the new programming language? Inspired by the transformation of professional software engineering by generative AI, let’s take the next step: empowering end users. We can boost their productivity with hyper-customized software generated from natural language. This challenge needs research right across software engineering: requirements, architecture, coding, testing, verification, repair, and maintenance. We will survey current progress and open research questions in this exciting new area of programming language research.”
(Photo: Cogna website)