Team

Miguel de Castro Neto is Director of the NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS) at NOVA University Lisbon and an Associate Professor.

He created and leads NOVA Cidade – Urban Analytics Lab, and also serves as Director of the Master’s in Information Management and several postgraduate programs in the areas of Smart Cities and Business Analytics.

He served as Secretary of State for Spatial Planning and Nature Conservation in the 19th and 20th Portuguese Governments and was named Smart Cities Personality of the Year 2017.

His research and teaching focus on Business Intelligence and Smart Cities, with particular emphasis on the creation of the Master’s in Business Intelligence at NOVA IMS, internationally recognized in the Eduniversal ranking.

André Barriguinha earned a Doctorate in Information Management, specialising in Geoinformatics. He also holds a Master’s degree in Geographic Information Science and Systems, as well as a Bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Engineering.

He is currently a lecturer at NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS) at Universidade Nova de Lisboa, a researcher at the Information Management Research Center (MagIC), and Executive Director of NOVA Cidade – Urban Analytics Lab.

He teaches and conducts research in the areas of geographic information systems, information management, geospatial artificial intelligence, and urban and territorial analytics.

Luís Ferreira Neto has a degree in Business Management and Administration from the Portuguese Catholic University, with executive training in Business Taxation, and has around 28 years of professional experience in finance and management.

He began his career at Fima/Lever as Product Manager, later taking on the role of Financial Controller, an area in which he consolidated much of his career. 

Throughout his career, he has been a managing partner in the real estate sector and has held management and administrative positions in companies in Portugal, the Netherlands, and Poland. He is a Certified Accountant and currently provides financial and administrative support to various entities in the non-profit sector.

Carla Carvalho Gonçalves has a degree in Accounting and Auditing, specializing in Auditing and Account Review, and has around 23 years of professional experience in the areas of financial management and control.

She began her career as a Financial Controller at an international company in the IT and training sector, later serving as Financial Director in the consulting sector.

She is a Certified Accountant and has extensive experience in the coordination, management, and financial and accounting control of projects, as well as in the implementation of administrative modernization initiatives, management and control systems, resource optimization, and coordination of multidisciplinary teams.

Belén Zuazo holds a degree in Educational Sciences from the University of San Andrés (Argentina) and a master's degree in Culture and Communication from the University of Lisbon.

She began her professional career in communication in 2018 at technology startups, later transitioning to work in non-profit organizations, particularly in the cultural sector, focusing on event communication.

She is currently the Communication Officer at NOVA Cidade – Urban Analytics Lab. Simultaneously, she has pursued a career in creative writing, regularly teaching classes and workshops on this subject.

Bruno Jardim holds a PhD in Data Science from NOVA IMS, along with bachelor's and master's degrees in Information Management specializing in Knowledge Management and Business Intelligence.

He is a Guest Assistant Professor at NOVA IMS in the areas of Business Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Data Science, Coordinator of NOVA BI & Analytics Lab, and Data Scientist at NOVA Cidade – Urban Analytics Lab.

He conducts applied research focused on the development and implementation of indicators for the objective measurement of urban phenomena, namely mobility, pollution, and safety.

Nuno Magalhães de Sousa has a degree in Geography and Regional Planning and a master's degree in Land Management, specializing in Land Planning and Development, from the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences at Universidade Nova de Lisboa.

He is currently pursuing a PhD in Information Management at NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS), where he is deepening his analytical approach to the study of cities, complementing his more qualitative training in territory.

His research interests focus on Urban Planning, Mobility, and Smart Cities, with an emphasis on developing skills in Geographic Information Systems and Data Science.

Duarte has degrees in Marketing and Advertising (IADE), Marketing Management (ISEG), and a Master's degree in Data-Driven Marketing focused on Marketing Intelligence.

After seven years of professional experience in London, where he worked in start-ups and multinational companies in the tourism, finance, and real estate sectors, he returned to Lisbon as a guest lecturer in Business Intelligence courses at NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS) and as a Business Intelligence Specialist at NOVA Cidade – Urban Analytics Lab.

Darina Vorobeva holds a Bachelor's degree in Management from the Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University (Russia), a Master's degree in International Business from Ljubljana (Slovenia), and a postgraduate degree in Data Science for Marketing from Lisbon.

She is currently a doctoral student at NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS), in the area of Marketing, Artificial Intelligence, and Ethical Implications.

She has professional experience in marketing in Russia and China, having worked for five years as a market analyst for seven countries at a leading omnichannel, multi-brand, and direct-to-consumer e-retailer in Central and Eastern Europe.

Louis Berthele holds a Computer Science degree from ZHAW School of Engineering, studied for a semester at UC San Diego, and is now pursuing a Master's degree in Data Science and Advanced Analytics at Universidade Nova de Lisboa.

He is a Data Scientist at NOVA Cidade – Urban Analytics Lab, where he works on the design and development of artificial intelligence agents applied to public decision-making.

His career combines software development, machine learning, and data analysis, with professional experience in data-driven product development, CRM systems, and project coordination in international and educational contexts.

Inês Areosa earned a Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico, completed postgraduate studies in Renewable Energy Management and Engineering, and is now working toward a PhD in Information Management at NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS).

Throughout her professional career, she has worked in applied research in the humanitarian and environmental sectors, including collaboration with the European Environment Agency (EEA) and participation in strategic studies in sustainability.

She currently collaborates with NOVA Cidade – Urban Analytics Lab as a researcher on territorial intelligence projects.

Candela Sol Pelliza has a degree in Architecture and Urbanism from the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo (Argentina) and a joint master's degree in Geo Data Science from Paris Lodron Universität Salzburg (Austria) and Université Bretagne Sud (France).

She has experience as an urban data scientist and GIS specialist in climate technology start-ups, working in the areas of urban data, Business Intelligence, and geospatial analytics applied to smart, sustainable, and equitable cities and territories.

She currently works as a Data Scientist and Business Intelligence Analyst at NOVA Cidade – Urban Analytics Lab.

Dhruv Pandit has a degree in Natural Sciences from Maastricht University and a master's degree in Applied Econometrics and Predictive Models from Nova School of Business & Economics. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Information Management, specializing in Data Science, at NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS), where he is an Assistant Professor of Big Data.

During his master's degree, he joined the Data Science Knowledge Center at NOVA SBE, participating in big data projects applied to the tourism sector, and collaborated independently on econometric model research with the Bank of Portugal.

His main research interests focus on sustainability, smart cities, the impact of climate change, and macroeconometrics.

Rita Oliveira holds a degree in Applied Mathematics from the University of Lisbon and a Master's degree in Business Intelligence from NOVA IMS. She is an Assistant Professor of Business Intelligence at NOVA IMS and a Data Scientist at NOVA Cidade – Urban Analytics Lab.

Her research interests focus on the intersection between data science and urban development, with a focus on smart cities, sustainability, and mobility.

Lara Leandro has a degree in Information Management from NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS) and is currently pursuing a Master's degree in Data Science and Advanced Analytics, specializing in Business Analytics, at the same institution.

She is a Business Intelligence Specialist at NOVA Cidade – Urban Analytics Lab, where she works in the areas of data analysis, Business Intelligence, and decision support. 

She has completed internships at Banco de Portugal and BNP Paribas, participating in projects involving data quality, analytical modeling, and the application of machine learning techniques to the analysis of microdata from the financial system.

Diogo Santos Costa holds a Master’s degree in Geographic Information Science and Systems, specializing in Geospatial Data Science, from NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS) and a degree in Technologies and Municipal Management from Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Lisboa (ISEL).

His academic and professional career has been guided by an interest in Geographic Information Systems, geostatistics and spatial modeling, with a focus on urban mobility, predictive analysis and land use planning.

Throughout his training, he has deepened transversal skills in the areas of data science, civil engineering and municipal management, consolidating a multidisciplinary approach to solving territorial challenges.

With a strong motivation for education and research, she has been aligning her professional career with these areas. She is currently a member of the NOVA Cidade – Urban Analytics Lab team, where she carries out research activities applied to remote sensing and geostatistics.

Mafalda has a degree in Information Management and a master's degree in Data Science and Advanced Analytics, with a specialization in Data Science, from NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS), where she is currently pursuing a PhD in Information Management.

She is a researcher and Data Scientist at NOVA Cidade – Urban Analytics Lab, where she develops data analysis and artificial intelligence projects applied to urban management and the development of smart cities.

Alexandre Barras Baptista has a degree in Geography and Territorial Planning and a master's degree in Territorial Management and Urban Planning from the University of Lisbon.

He also has a postgraduate degree in Knowledge Management and Business Intelligence from NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS). He began his career as a Research Assistant at NOVA IMS, participated in national and international projects in the areas of GIS, education, and R&D, and taught in an international context.

After gaining experience in the financial sector, he joined the NOVA Cidade – Urban Analytics Lab team in 2020. He is also the author and co-author of scientific publications and has been awarded the Esri Inc. Student Assistantship Program.

Fátima Trindade Neves has a degree in Geographic Engineering from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon and a Diploma in Advanced Studies in Information and Decision Systems from NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS), where she is a PhD student and Research Collaborator at MagIC.

Throughout her professional career, she has held coordination and management positions in public administration entities, leading national and international projects in the areas of digital transformation, smart cities, and administrative simplification. 

She has also been a Guest Assistant Professor in the Smart Cities Postgraduate Program at NOVA IMS. She is currently an R&D project manager at IAPMEI, focusing on information systems, artificial intelligence, and data science.