In this edition of Inside DEI, we will get to know Professor João Madeiras Pereira a little better.

• Tell us a bit about yourself and your journey at Técnico.

From a very early age, alongside my interest in Mathematics and Physics, I was drawn to activities in the field of Electronics, whether through hobbies such as Lego or by completing a correspondence course in Electronics. Therefore, after finishing the Complementary Secondary Education course and the Preparatory Year, it felt natural for me to pursue a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering at IST.

As part of my final-year project, I was invited by Professor Mário Rui Gomes to undertake an internship at INESC within the CAD/CAM Group and to participate in the development of an interactive graphical editor, Malhoa, which was later adapted to be used as a silkscreen editor for INESC’s PCB service. Later, as a lecturer in the DEEC, in the position of Assistant Trainee, I collaborated with Professor Mário Rui Gomes on the development of CORTE, a CAD system for the garment industry.

During my Master’s studies, I entered a phase of research exclusively focused on the field of High-Speed Digital Electronics. This work resulted not only in my Master’s thesis, centred on the development of a Digital Video prototype exploring the then-recent dual-port memory technology, namely Video RAMs, but also in the creation of the course High-Speed Electronics. This course was part of the Master’s programme in Electrical and Computer Engineering and was formally overseen by Professor Pedro Veiga.

Subsequently, alongside teaching courses in Electronics and Computer Graphics, I began an R&D path in my PhD, working on Hardware/Software projects for Parallel Graphics Architectures, whose fundamental components were distributed parallel processing chips known as Transputers. Part of this work was carried out at the ZGDV/Fraunhofer IGD institute in Darmstadt, coordinated by Professor José Encarnação. As a result, I was awarded second place (including a monetary prize of 1,000 dollars) in the international scientific competition “1994 MasPar Challenge Contest,” promoted by MasPar Corporation and American Express.

After completing my PhD, and already as a faculty member in DEI, all my scientific and pedagogical activity has been focused on Visualization in Virtual Environments.

It is also important to mention my contribution to Academic Management at IST, particularly my participation, over two terms, as a member of the DEI Executive Committee with responsibility for financial affairs. This role required significant effort on my part because DEI had shortly before been granted the status of an autonomous accounting unit. This meant that all financial management of the department, previously handled by IST’s Central Administration, became the responsibility of DEI. Consequently, it was necessary to establish an accounting area with specific duties, including adopting dedicated procedures and learning the IT tools implemented by IST under the Official Education Accounting Programme. I was therefore responsible not only for managing state budget allocations, which at the time amounted to around €200,000 per year, but also the department’s own revenues resulting from project management within DEI. This work also included managing the accounts of the Professional Postgraduate Programme, particularly the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th editions of the Postgraduate Programme in Information Systems (POSI), coordinated by Professor José Tribolet, which generated revenues exceeding €1.3 million. Throughout this activity, I benefited from the invaluable support of the DEI administrative staff, especially Cassilda Martinho.

I also served as Coordinator of the Master’s Programme in Computer Engineering at IST-Alameda (MEIC-A).

Throughout my career at this institution, I have crossed paths with countless colleagues and non-teaching staff who, in different ways, shaped my professional journey. However, there are two individuals to whom I am infinitely grateful: Professor Mário Lança, responsible for my decision to pursue an academic career, and Professor Lourenço Fernandes, who, after my PhD, placed his trust in me to lead the newly created courses in the area of Computer Graphics.

• What does your teaching work currently consist of?

As a university professor, teaching has always played a central role in my professional career. Aware of the important role a lecturer must have in knowledge construction, and taking into account students’ underlying motivation and prior experience, I have sought to adopt the most appropriate pedagogical tools aimed at training professionals properly equipped to deal with a globalized and constantly changing world.

This philosophy has guided my teaching activity throughout my career, namely at DEEC, where I taught several courses in analog and digital electronics, and later, from 1998 onwards, at DEI, through teaching curricular units in the field of Computer Graphics. I am currently the course coordinator for 3D Visualization and Animation and 3D Programming, both taught in the MEIC programme. I am also responsible for the course Advanced Topics in Photorealistic Image Synthesis in the DEI Doctoral Programme.

In this latter course, considering the ubiquity of Artificial Intelligence, I have been concerned with reformulating part of the syllabus in order to keep pace with the integration of this technology into modern graphics systems. Examples include technologies such as Nvidia’s DLSS, which use AI to perform real-time image upscaling, allowing games and 3D software to run at lower resolutions and then be “reconstructed” with high quality, as well as AI-based denoising techniques that predict and remove visual noise, drastically reducing final rendering time.

Together with Professor Augusto Esteves, we are also preparing a redesign of the 3D Visualization and Animation course, whose main objective is to include tangible computing, using Arduino systems to interact with graphical environments.

• And in research?

In terms of research, my work has almost always been carried out at INESC, with several international research stays, among which I would highlight the previously mentioned ZGDV/Fraunhofer IGD and the Computer Graphics Lab & Intel Visual Computing Institute at Saarland University, coordinated by Professor Philipp Slusallek.

This activity comprises several phases that reflect my most significant scientific interests: High-Speed Digital Electronics, Graphics Hardware, Real-Time Graphics Visualization, Serious Games, and Physics-Based Image Synthesis.

Over the past ten years, I have carried out R&D activities within the group originally known as Intelligent Multimodal Visualization and Interfaces (VIMMI) and later, following a restructuring of INESC-ID, renamed Graphics & Interaction (GI). From January 2018 onwards, I assumed the role of Scientific Coordinator of this group. It is worth highlighting the scientific multidisciplinary nature of GI, which covers a wide range of areas, from intelligent graphics to accessibility and social inclusion, including medical interfaces, information visualization, educational gamification, as well as the design, analysis, and optimization of algorithms for architecture, engineering, and construction. The group currently includes seven Integrated Researchers, two of whom are Full Professors and five Associate Professors.

• Which projects from your career would you highlight? For example, the most inspiring, innovative, or impactful ones.

I will answer this question by referring to projects that were particularly significant to me in each of the categories mentioned.

I will begin with two projects that had a major impact on my career. First, I would highlight the European project RESOLV (Reconstruction Using Scanned Laser and Video), whose scientific coordination I assumed immediately after completing my PhD. The main objective of RESOLV was to produce a cost-effective system for creating realistic 3D models of indoor environments. Texture and colour information captured through a video camera was integrated with distance data obtained from a Laser Range Finder mounted on a mobile robot with intelligent navigation capabilities. The reconstructed models were then used in telepresence and Virtual Reality applications.

Another European project worth mentioning, in which I served as Principal Investigator for INESC-ID, stands out due to the size of its consortium (10 partners) and its financial relevance for my institution: TARGET – Transformative, Adaptive, Responsive and enGaging EnvironmenT. The project received overall funding of approximately €7 million, of which €850,000 was allocated to VIMMI/INESC-ID. TARGET developed a Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) platform that enabled knowledge workers in corporate organizations to rapidly acquire and develop individual and social skills through the use of a Serious Game.

In the category of innovative projects, I would highlight IMPROVE: Improving Display and Rendering Technology for Virtual Environments. Coordinated by myself and Professor Joaquim Jorge, this project carried out research in Advanced Visualization, covering topics ranging from stereoscopic vision and holography to the development of Display Walls and the use of parallel algorithms for highly realistic 3D visualization, as well as the design and use of interfaces for collaborative Mixed Reality environments.

As inspiring projects, I must mention the coordination of the development of the interactive 3D multimedia application Journey to the Center of the Earth, installed in the CAVE system at the Lousal Ciência Viva Science Centre, and the coordination of the FCT project CleanDrive – An Educational Simulator for Safe and Environmental Driving, which aimed to develop a driving simulator for educational purposes focused on safety and environmental awareness. This latter project resulted in a prototype acquired by the Municipality of Vila Franca de Xira, which toured several secondary schools across the country to promote safe and environmentally responsible driving.

• What do you enjoy most about your day-to-day life at Técnico?

I have proudly worked at this Institution since 1979, five years as an undergraduate student and more than forty years as a university lecturer. Practically my entire adult professional life has revolved around this community. I can say that almost every day I come to IST continues to be marked by challenges and unpredictability, which make my academic life engaging and far from monotonous. The uncertainty and challenges arising from interaction with students, together with the continuous technological evolution I face daily, foster resilience, increase confidence, and strengthen my ability to navigate complex scenarios. In other words, working within the IST community requires me to reinvent myself every day.

Contrary to the classic pejorative insinuation associated with having “the same job for life,” my career entirely focused within the IST environment does not represent something negative. Rather, it reflects dedication and deep institutional knowledge, while also telling a story of specialization and adaptability. Throughout my career, I have had to deal with the emergence of new technologies, generational transitions among students, curriculum changes, and the implementation of new educational tools — experiences that have made me highly adaptable.

• Who is João outside Técnico?

Outside the Técnico environment, I am an ordinary person, with a family and social life, and a regular sports practitioner.

For many years, I was able to balance my academic and family life with competing as a triathlon athlete. I was twice the National Vice-Champion in the Veterans 1 Triathlon category and also reached the podium several times in international long-distance triathlon competitions in the veterans division.

It is well known that, in many situations, competition increases self-esteem, improves mood, slows the ageing process, enhances physical functions, and reduces anxiety. In my case, I also felt that competition taught me how to better handle pressure throughout my academic career, as well as manage time more efficiently. Having to balance intense training with studies and professional responsibilities helped me develop strong organizational skills and an enhanced ability to prioritize tasks.

Today, the competitive component has naturally almost disappeared; nevertheless, I continue to practice swimming and cycling regularly.

(image: João Madeiras Pereira)