Técnico Alumni is a platform that allows former students of Instituto Superior Técnico to reconnect, relive, and reminisce their time at Técnico through access to a network of contacts with other Alumni. It is within the context of this platform’s activities that this interview with Ricardo Martins, a former DEI student, originally took place, and is now being republished in full.  

To learn more about Técnico Alumni and join the network, click HERE.

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Ricardo Martins is a computer engineer who graduated from the Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologias (Universidade Nova de Lisboa) and from Instituto Superior Técnico, where he combined academic rigor with an entrepreneurial spirit. With a thesis defended at the Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores (INESC) in 2016, he consolidated at Técnico a modus operandi focused on efficiency and solving complex problems, valuing both technical excellence and the network of contacts he built.

His career path includes a remarkable period in the Portuguese Navy, including work within a NATO environment, an experience that laid the foundation for his specialization in systems administration. He currently lives in Madrid and works as a Reliability Engineer at Roche Pharma, having traded the comfort zone of Lisbon for the international challenge of ensuring the reliability of critical platforms at a pharmaceutical giant.

Driven by curiosity and constant adaptation to new technologies such as AI, Ricardo plans to evolve from technical execution to strategic leadership. He defines himself through self-sufficiency and pragmatism, embodying the profile of a Técnico alumnus: focused, innovative, and fearless in the face of the unknown.

• Why Técnico?

When I finished my bachelor’s degree at FCT-UNL, there were two master’s options whose curriculum matched my expectations. So I decided to change environments and try my luck at Técnico, in order to combine the best of both worlds and graduate from two of the best Computer Engineering schools in the country.

• Can you tell us a bit about your studies at Técnico?

It was different from what I was used to and, perhaps because I had already gone through a challenging undergraduate degree, I approached the master’s with a different mindset. I thought the program was well organized, the professors were different, as were the teaching methods, platforms, and so on. It was like rediscovering a world and being positively surprised.

• What do you value most from your time at Técnico, in class or outside of it?

I can say I take a bit of everything with me: the friendships, new ways of thinking and approaching problems, the opportunity to complete my master’s thesis at INESC with Professor José Luís Brinquete Borbinha, and several essential tools for my professional future.

• What is your favorite place at Técnico and why?

The rooftop of the towers. I have always enjoyed taking photographs as a hobby, and I liked going to high places to enjoy the view and take pictures. I don’t know if they still happen, but there used to be visits to the top of the towers during spring and summer days. I took advantage of them and went more than once in search of the perfect photograph high on the towers.

• Can you tell us a bit about the beginning of your professional journey?

When I finished my bachelor’s degree in 2013, I completed a professional internship as part of the curriculum, which technically marked the beginning of my professional activity in the field. However, I only truly consider my professional career to have started in 2016, after presenting my dissertation. I defended my master’s thesis in June 2016 and by the end of August I was already working at the consultancy firm KCS IT Project Management.

It was a brief one-year adventure and, since consulting life was not for me, I quickly moved to Xpand IT. Later, to fulfill a long-time dream of serving my country, I joined the Portuguese Navy. There, I worked at the Hydrographic Institute as both military personnel and a Naval Senior Technician, where I began my journey in systems administration. It was a place where I learned a great deal, working with datacenters and even serving at a NATO center, building the foundations that allowed me to continue in this field.

• Tell us a bit about the work you are currently doing.

I am currently a Reliability Engineer at Roche Pharma in Madrid. I am part of a team that supports the company’s most critical business applications, ensuring they have everything necessary to function correctly before problems arise.

• What does a typical day look like for you today?

Maintaining a regular exercise routine is essential to starting the day well, and deciding whether to work remotely or onsite is a major advantage. There are usually a few meetings with teammates and, almost always, I end up learning something new or staying up to date with a technological innovation that will be introduced in the company, such as replacing certain platforms with more efficient ones for managing system updates.

• What are your plans for the future?

I have always enjoyed being hands-on, but eventually I would like to move into something more abstract, focused on defining direction rather than executing it firsthand. It is not something that happens overnight, but I believe that by moving in the right direction day by day, I get closer to it.

• What advice would you give to current students?

Make the most of university because, for me, those were some of the best years of my life and, above all, experiment, discover, and create as much as possible.

• Do you have a favorite quote or saying?

“Insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results.”

(original image: Ricardo Martins)