I had the privilege of spending a highly insightful week in London, meeting with Prof. Pier-Giorgio Masci from King’s College. This visit marked a significant step forward in our joint initiative focused on AI-enhanced segmentation techniques for cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) images. Prof. Masci provided an enriching perspective on current challenges and opportunities in automated CMR analysis.
As part of my PhD journey, I had the opportunity to visit the well-known NLP lab at University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom through the SoBigData++ Transnational Access (TNA) program. This experience was not only inspiring for my research but also enriching on a personal and professional level. In this post, I aim to share insights about my TNA experience and the research I conducted between October and December.
Those of us who are involved in Natural Language Processing (NLP) research are likely aware of the General Architecture for Text Engineering (GATE) toolkit that is maintained by the University of Sheffield. Back when I was just finishing my undergraduate degree, GATE was my introduction to the field of NLP research. I therefore have very fond associations with the GATE toolkit, and enormous respect for the research behind it.
The SoBigData Summer School 2025, the third edition of the international summer program From Data to Social Innovation, took place from June 22 to 28 in Baratti, on the Tuscan coast. The initiative aimed to train a new generation of data scientists, social scientists, and researchers in the responsible use of data to address ethical, political, and societal challenges.
I took advantage of the SoBigData++ Transnational Access program to visit the National Research Council (CNR) in Pisa and collaborate with Prof. Luca Pappalardo (SoBigData Research Spaces on the project "Sustainable Cities for Citizens”). This visit has been instrumental in fostering a long-term collaboration and a strong scientific relationship between the Technical University of Denmark and CNR.
Complex networks are any type of system where multiple elements are connected by different processes influencing the overall functioning and emerging properties. The human brain with its neurons, cities and their streets, and the internet are good examples of complex networks. As a biologist from Brazil, I study ecological trophic networks, also known as food webs, describing feeding interactions among species that transfer energy and matter across ecosystems.
In the contemporary digital age, the proliferation of propaganda and disinformation has emerged as a formidable challenge, particularly in Eastern European societies. These phenomena, fueled by the rapid dissemination capabilities of the internet and social media platforms, have profound implications for the fabric of societies, influencing public opinion, exacerbating social polarization, and undermining trust in democratic institutions.
Spending a month and a half in Pisa was a truly unforgettable experience. I was lucky enough
to join the KDD Lab at the CNR, working alongside the incredible team led by Prof. Luca
Pappalardo. As someone who shares their passion for human mobility research, this visit
wasn’t just professionally enriching—it was personally inspiring too.
