Team

Miguel de Castro Neto is the Dean of NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS) where he is Associate Professor. Created and leads the NOVA Cidade – Urban Analytics Lab and directs the Master in Information Management and the Post-Graduation programs in Smart Cities and Business Analytics for Hospitality and Tourism.

He was Secretary of State of Spatial Planning and Nature Conservation in the XIX and XX Portuguese Government and Smart Cities Personality of the Year (Green Business Week 2017 / Fundação AIP).

Advisory Member fo the Portuguese Professional Engineers Association, founder of the Data Science Portuguese Association, member of the Sustainable Growth Platform think tank. President of Vissauim XXI Technical-Scientific board and former President of the Festival Terras Sem Sombra Curators Board.

Developing his research and teaching work in the area of Business Intelligence and Smart Cities, an highlight to the direction of NOVA IMS Master of Knowledge Management and Business Intelligence, currently ranked as the “Best Master Program in Business Intelligence” in the world by Eduniversal international ranking, where he teaches the Business Intelligence curricular units.

PhD in Information Management – ​​Geoinformatics, Master in Science and Geographic Information Systems and degree in Agricultural Engineering. He is currently a Professor of the Practice at NOVA Information Management School, from Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Integrated Researcher at the Information Management Research Center (MagIC) and Executive Director at Nova Cidade Urban Analytics Lab, where he also develops work in geographic information systems, information management, geospatial artificial intelligence and urban and territorial analytics.​

Luís Ferreira Neto holds a Degree in Business Management and Administration from the Portuguese Catholic University and has also attended the Executive Program – Business Taxation Program, at the same University.

With about 28 years of professional experience, Luís Ferreira Neto began his career at Fima/Lever as “Product Manager”. Still at Fima/Lever, he started as a “Financial Controller” and since then he has held positions in the financial area.

In addition to accumulating the responsibility of “Financial Controller” in several companies, he was also managing partner of a real estate company where two projects were executed.
He was also Director, Member of the Board of Directors, and Sole Director of several companies in Portugal, Holland, and Poland.

He is a certified accountant and currently provides financial and administrative support to various entities in the non-profit sector.

Bruno Jardim is an Invited Professor of Business Intelligence and Text Mining at NOVA Information Management School, and Data Scientist at NOVA Cidade Urban Analytics Lab.

He is currently also a PhD student in Data Science at NOVA Information Management School. His research focuses on the development and implementation of indicators to objectively measure phenomena of mobility, pollution and safety in urban environments.

Bruno has a degree in Information Management from Nova Information Management School and a Master’s in Information Management, with a specialization in Knowledge Management and Business Intelligence.

Nuno Magalhães de Sousa holds a Master's degree in Territorial Management (specializing in Territorial Planning and Management) and a Bachelor's degree in Geography and Regional Planning, both from the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of NOVA University Lisbon.

He is currently a PhD student in Information Management at NOVA Information Management School, seeking to deepen his analytical knowledge of cities, complementing his more qualitative view of territory.

His interests lie in Urban Planning, Mobility, and Smart Cities, and he seeks to further develop his skills in Geographic Information Systems and Data Science.

Duarte holds a degree in Marketing and Advertising from IADE, followed by a postgraduate degree in Marketing Management from ISEG, and is currently finishing a Master's degree in Data-Driven Marketing with a specialization in Marketing Intelligence.

After 7 years living in London, UK, working in various companies ranging from startups to multinationals in the areas of tourism, finance, and real estate, he returned to Lisbon as a guest lecturer in several Business Intelligence courses at NOVA IMS and as a Business Intelligence Specialist at Nova Cidade Urban Analytics.

Darina Vorobeva has BSc in Management from St Petersburg Polytechnical University, Russia, MSc in International Business in Ljubljana, Slovenia and then postgraduate in Lisbon, Portugal in Data Science for Marketing, now she is doing PhD at Nova IMS with research interest in Marketing Artificial Intelligence and Ethical Implications.  

Darina also has marketing experience in Russia and China, as well as working for 5 years as a market analyst for 7 different countries in a leading omnichannel, multi-brand and direct-to-consumer electronic retailer in Central & Eastern Europe. 

Inês Areosa is an applied researcher with a strong interest in promoting environmental and social impact in the areas of circular economy and cities.

Inês holds a Master's degree in Aerospace Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico and has worked as a data scientist since graduation, conducting research and working in the humanitarian sector. Recently, she redirected her professional path to the environmental sector, obtaining a postgraduate degree in Renewable Energy Management and Engineering and completing an internship at the European Environment Agency (EEA).

She recently co-led a strategic study on wastewater reuse at the Instituto Superior de Agronomia. Currently, she works with NOVA Cidade on the AgronomIA project.

Carla Carvalho Gonçalves has a degree in Accounting and Auditing from the Instituto Superior Autónomo de Estudos Politécnicos and a specialization in Auditing and Auditing, having also attended technical courses in the areas of accounting and taxation.

With around 23 years’ professional experience, Carla Carvalho Gonçalves began her career as Finance Controller in an international company in the IT and training sector. Subsequently, she held the position of Finance Director in a company in the domestic market in the management consultancy and training sector.

She then broadened her professional skills in the preparation and monitoring of projects in the administrative modernization sector and acquired extensive experience over the years in consultancy, control and implementation.

She is a Chartered Accountant and throughout her career has held these positions in companies in various sectors of activity.

Carla has extensive professional experience in the coordination, management, financial and accounting control of projects, as well as in the design, development and implementation of projects in the areas of administrative modernization, control and management systems, rationalization, optimization of resources, capacity building and training of organizations, as well as specific skills in the control and management of multidisciplinary teams.

Candela Sol Pelliza holds a degree in Architecture and Urban Planning from the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, Argentina, and a joint master's degree in Geo Data Science from Paris Lodron Universitat Salzburg, Austria, and Université Bretagne Sud, France.

She has experience as an urban data scientist and GIS specialist in climate technology start-ups. Her work, research, and interests focus on using data to contribute 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 é Professor Assistente de Big Data na NOVA IMS, e está atualmente a tirar um doutoramento em Gestão de Informação com especialização em Data Science. Tem um mestrado em Econometria Aplicada e Modelos Preditivos pela Escola de Economia e Gestão de Lisboa, e uma licenciatura em Ciências Naturais pela Universidade de Maastricht. Durante o mestrado, trabalhou no Data Science Knowledge Center da NOVA SBE, onde esteve envolvido em projectos focados em big data na área do turismo, e colaborou de forma independente na investigação de modelos econométricos com o Banco de Portugal. Os seus principais interesses de investigação centram-se na sustentabilidade, cidades inteligentes, impacto das alterações climáticas e macroeconometria.

Rita Oliveira is an Adjunct Lecturer of Business Intelligence at NOVA Information Management School and a Data Scientist at the NOVA Cidade Urban Analytics Lab. With a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics from the Faculty of Sciences at the University of Lisbon, Rita is currently completing a Master’s degree in Information Management with a specialization in Business Intelligence at NOVA Information Management School.

Passionate about the intersection of data science and urban development, Rita’s research interests focus on smart cities, sustainability, and mobility. Leveraging a solid background in quantitative analysis and data-driven decision-making, Rita is committed to advancing innovative solutions that enhance urban living through intelligent systems and sustainable practices.

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, both obtained at NOVA Information Management School.

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

Her passion for Data Science, combined with her interest in innovation, drives her work in creating data-based solutions that promote efficiency, sustainability and quality of life in cities.

Alexandre Barras Baptista has a Post-Graduation degree in Knowledge Management and Business Intelligence from NOVA Information Management School, a MSc. in Land Management and Urban Planning, and a BSc. in Geography and Territorial Planning, both from the University of Lisbon.

In 2010 he became a researcher at the New Technologies Laboratory at NOVA Information Management School participating and leading on several projects (national and international) related with GIS & Science, e-learning, education and R&D. Between 2014 and 2015 he became a teacher of the Implementation of Precision Farming in the Community curricular unit at University of Cape Verde and at the Catholic University of Mozambique.

On a hiatus from academic research he was a financial systems analyst at BNP Paribas and returned to the academia in 2020 to integrate the NOVA Cidade Urban Analytics Lab team.

For his technical competences, he was awarded into the Esri Inc Student Assistantship Program at San Diego, United States.

He is also an author/co-author of several scientific papers and participated in international and national conferences as a presenter.

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

She was Head of The Computer Division at the Directorate-General of School Administration of the Ministry of Education, having led national and international projects in the fields of ICT, promoting digital transformation and enhancing statistical support in business intelligence.

She was invited assistant professor at the 1st Edition of the Graduate Program in Smart Cities at NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS) of universidade Nova de Lisboa.

She was Head of The Division of Smart Cities in the Municipality of Cascais, where she implemented initiatives and strategies of action in the Municipality so that Cascais was managed as smart territory for its citizens and companies.

She was the leam leader of a multidisciplinary team at the Entrepreneur’s Balcony of the Agency for Administrative Modernization, I.P. (AMA), having coordinated national and international administrative simplification projects related to central and local public administration and, where she was the manager of the Citizen and Company Portals, and their Contact Centers.

She is a R&D project manager at the Agency for Competitiveness and Innovation, I.P. (IAPMEI), particularly in the areas of information systems, artificial intelligence and data science.