In memoriam: José Manuel Prista do Valle Cardoso Igreja
It is with sorrow that we write on the passing of our friend and colleague José Igreja.
José Manuel Prista do Valle Cardoso Igreja completed his Licenciatura and Masters in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST) in 1986 and 1992, respectively, as well as his PhD in 2007 in the same field, also at IST, with the thesis “Controlo Adaptativo de Processos com Fenómenos de Transporte” (“Adaptive Process Control with Transport Phenomena”). The latter two degree were performed under the supervision of IST Professor and INESC-ID researcher Professor João Miranda Lemos.
A Coordinating Professor at Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa (ISEL, Instituto Politécnico de Lisboa) since 2007, Professor Igreja was also a researcher at INESC-ID, where he collaborated in several research projects funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). These projects focused on control of dynamic systems related to applications in control of water distribution channels, control of thermodynamic systems and optimal control of cyber-physical systems.
In the last two years, Professor Igreja collaborated in the Artificial intelligence techniques for GNC design, implementation and verification (AI4GNC) project, the first European Space Agency (ESA) project in which INESC-ID participated, which concluded in December 2022. Professor Igreja was equally instrumental in mediating the third-party agreement between ISEL and INESC-ID, having thus rendered an invaluable service to our institute.
According to ISEL, Professor Igreja “participated in the management of [the school], namely on the Board of Directors, on the Supervisory Board of ISEL, on the Technical-Scientific Board, on the Pedagogical Board, on the Board of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and on the General Board of IPL.”
Described as a great friend and good-natured colleague by many who knew him, Professor Igreja passed away at the age of 60.
Our warmest sympathies are with his friends and family.
Photo credit: ISEL
Upcoming Events
NII International Internship Programme Presentation and Q&A by Emmanuel Planas
On April 30, Emmanuel Planas, the acting director of the Global Liaison Office (GLO) and responsible for the internationalisation program at the National Institute of Informatics (NII) in Tokyo, Japan, will give a presentation to introduce the NII and its internship program to INESC-ID students and IST’s Master’s in Computer Science students.
Date & Time: April 30, 14h00
Where: Sala Polivalente, Técnico – Taguspark
“The NII International Internship Program is an exchange activity with students from institutions with which NII has concluded a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreement. This incentive program aims at giving interns the opportunity for professional and personal development by engaging in research activities under the guidance and supervision of NII researchers.
The NII Internship Program is open to Research Master’s and PhD students who are currently enrolled at one of the partner institutions that have signed an MOU agreement with NII.”
Educational Workshop on Responsible AI for Peace and Security (UNODA)
On June 6 and 7, The United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA) and the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) are offering a selected group of technical students the opportunity to join a 2-day educational workshop on Responsible AI for peace and security.
The third workshop in the series will be held in Porto Salvo, Portugal, in collaboration with GAIPS, INESC-ID, and Instituto Superior Técnico. The workshop is open to students affiliated with universities in Europe, Central and South America, the Middle East and Africa, Oceania, and Asia.
Date & Time: June 6 a 7
Where: IST – Tagus Park, Porto Salvo
Registration deadline: April 8
Summary: “As with the impacts of Artificial intelligence (AI) on people’s day-to-day lives, the impacts for international peace and security include wide-ranging and significant opportunities and challenges. AI can help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals, but its dual-use nature means that peaceful applications can also be misused for harmful purposes such as political disinformation, cyberattacks, terrorism, or military operations. Meanwhile, those researching and developing AI in the civilian sector remain too often unaware of the risks that the misuse of civilian AI technology may pose to international peace and security and unsure about the role they can play in addressing them. Against this background, UNODA and SIPRI launched, in 2023, a three-year educational initiative on Promoting Responsible Innovation in AI for Peace and Security. The initiative, which is supported by the Council of the European Union, aims to support greater engagement of the civilian AI community in mitigating the unintended consequences of civilian AI research and innovation for peace and security. As part of that initiative, SIPRI and UNODA are organising a series of capacity building workshops for STEM students (at PhD and Master levels). These workshops aim to provide the opportunity for up-and-coming AI practitioners to work together and with experts to learn about a) how peaceful AI research and innovation may generate risks for international peace and security; b) how they could help prevent or mitigate those risks through responsible research and innovation; c) how they could support the promotion of responsible AI for peace and security.”