In this edition of Inside DEI, we will get to know Professor António Rito Silva a little better.

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

I earned a Bachelor's degree in Applied Mathematics – Computing Branch from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon, a Master's degree in Applied Mathematics – Computer Science from Técnico, and a PhD in Computer Science and Engineering.

After completing my PhD, I became head of CIIST (the Computing Center of Instituto Superior Técnico), now known as DSI, where a major restructuring took place. During this period, development of the Fénix system began. Throughout this restructuring, an effort was made to align the school's expertise with the needs of CIIST, creating synergies between real-world problems and research. This environment led to undergraduate final projects, master's theses, and doctoral dissertations.

In this context, an Object-Relational Mapper, FénixFramework, was developed. It remains in production today and was innovative with respect to the state of the art in in-memory software transactions. Another PhD student developed a software integration conflict detection tool, which resulted in the first paper authored exclusively by Portuguese researchers to be published at the International Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE).

Much of my research has focused on services and transactional systems. After stepping down as head of CIIST, I worked on object workflow systems (Blended Workflow), aiming to support flexible workflow systems capable of handling unexpected situations. These are goal-oriented systems that enable business process design without being constrained by a rigid sequence of steps.

Later, when I decided to return to programming on a continuous basis, I worked in the field of digital humanities, where the Arquivo do LdoD was developed, a collaborative digital archive of Fernando Pessoa's Book of Disquiet that has been in production for approximately ten years.

Currently, I am conducting research in the area of microservice systems, with particular emphasis on the impact that business logic has on their transactional behavior and architectural design. Two tools are being developed: mono2micro, for identifying microservices in monolithic systems, and a microservices simulator, designed to explore how business logic design affects the transactional complexity of a system.

• What does your teaching work currently consist of?

I teach the courses Software Engineering and Software Architectures.

• And in research?

In the area of software architecture, in particular, I am working on microservices architectures.

• And in industry? 

At the moment, I do not have any projects with industry.

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

The project that had the greatest impact was the Fénix System. More than 20 years later, it is installed at three universities and, as I recently learned, will also be deployed at the University of Aveiro.

When I started the project, the feedback I received was that it would be impossible to build it in that way. Once results began to emerge, I was told that it would only last as long as I remained involved. My response was that the "machine" we were building would outlive me.

Now, by extrapolation, I imagine that people may say that I had nothing to do with the project's success, which would be the ultimate proof of that success.

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

I enjoy teaching, but I dislike giving two identical classes. Therefore, five minutes before each lecture, I focus on deciding how to start it in a different way. By starting differently, the class follows a different sequence, even if it covers the same topics.

I also really enjoy interacting with motivated students under my supervision. I like listening to their questions, learning from them, and finding ways to place them in context within the broader body of knowledge. My best teachers were those who, when faced with a difficult question, were able to turn it into something clear. Not that they necessarily solved the problem, but they made it clear what the real problem actually was.

I also enjoy writing code very much, especially refactoring code to give it architectural coherence. In this way, I try to collaborate on all the code developed by my students, continuing to evolve it even after they have completed their theses.

• Who is António outside Técnico?

Nothing special. I like to observe what surrounds me and, occasionally, write about it.

(image: António Rito Silva)