May 28, 2025

DigiMedia researcher presents work on Generative AI in Branding at the 18th Global Brand Conference

Sofia Almeida, a PhD student in New Media and researcher at DigiMedia and at Instituto de Telecomunicações (IT), presented her latest study at the 18th Global Brand Conference (GBC), which took place at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa – Porto, from 7th to 9th May 2025.

Sofia presented the paper “Designers’ Perspectives of Generative Artificial Intelligence in Visual Identities and Contemporary Branding”, which pioneers how design professionals are integrating Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI) into the creation of visual brand identities. The research discusses the impacts of this technology on creative processes, co-creation practices and brand personalization, contributing to emerging debates on the future of design practice in AI-mediated contexts. This work is part of Sofia’s PhD project, supervised by Catarina Lélis (DeCA) and Diogo Gomes (DETI, IT).

GBC is recognized as one of the world’s leading meetings of the scientific community dedicated to branding, bringing together experts, academics and internationally renowned researchers. The acceptance of this study at a prestigious international event such as GBC represents an important academic and scientific recognition of the current status and relevance of the research developed within DigiMedia and IT.

May 26, 2025

DigiMedia researcher led a workshop on AI

The Unboxing_AI: an introduction workshop took place on May 21, in an online format and was attended by faculty members, researchers, PhD students, and other DigiMedia collaborators.

Joaquim Santos, an invited Assistant Professor in the Communication and Art Department, and researcher at DigiMedia, led the workshop, which main goal was to provide an accessible yet informed introduction to Large Language Models (LLMs), covering their evolution up to the Transformer architecture and the Generative Pre-Trained (GPT) models. The workshop explored codeless prompting techniques and the use of LLMs in academic research, including their limitations, risks, and the current regulatory framework.

The discussion also included the use and deployment of local LLMs versus cloud-based LLMs, weighing their advantages and disadvantages. A set of useful resources was presented to facilitate more effective interaction with AI systems.

In the hands-on session was an opportunity for participants to build knowledge using Open WebUI, integrate it into a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) system, and create a functional chatbot based on that knowledge.

May 26, 2025

From Aldus Huxley to the power of creativity: DigiMedia researcher presents a keynote in the “Jornadas de Ciência 2025” event

On May 16, DigiMedia researcher Mónica Aresta presented the talk “Resourcefulness, Art and Digital Literacy: Anticipating the Future with Intention” at the Jornadas de Ciência de Arouca, at the invitation of the “Círculo Cultura e Democracia” and the Municipality of Arouca.

Drawing on Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World”, the talk emphasized how modern technologies, often seen as neutral tools, silently shape our behaviors, relationships, and choices. The audience was encouraged to critically reflect on the role of technology in their everyday lives and to take a more intentional approach to their digital future.

Rather than advocating rejection of technology, the talk stressed the importance of becoming conscious, creative users. Mónica shared examples from her research, including educational projects in which students design video games with environmental themes. She emphasized that digital literacy is an essential tool for maintaining human agency in an increasingly algorithm-mediated world.

May 13, 2025

PhD student presents recommendations to facilitate curator-led public engagement of science activities

On 8th May, Beatriz Vieite, a student on the Doctoral Program in New Media and researcher at DigiMedia, virtually attended the Annual Conference & AGM of the Natural Sciences Collections Association (https://natsca.org/natsca2025) held at the Manchester Museum (University of Manchester, UK).

Beatriz presented practical recommendations to facilitate curator-led public engagement of science activities in university natural history museums. This presentation was based on a more in-depth study that is still being carried out as part of her PhD, where she’s looking at the current landscape of university natural history museums in terms of public engagement by the lens of curators, both in Portugal and in the UK.

April 24, 2025

International Web3 Conference Brings Academia and Industry Together at UA

The University of Aveiro hosted the international conference “WEB3: Tokenization, Technology and Culture” on April 11, bringing together 50 participants to discuss the digital future in light of emerging Web3 technologies.

Promoted by DigiMedia in partnership with the Value for Health CoLAB (V4H), the event featured scientific presentations and demonstrations of innovative industry-partnered projects focused on tokenization, NFTs, and decentralization. The conference highlighted the convergence of technology and culture, with a focus on applications in areas such as digital games, health, the environment, and online identity.

Organized within the scope of the BLOCKCHAIN.PT – PRR Agenda, the conference reinforced the University of Aveiro’s role as a space for interdisciplinary dialogue, bridging academic research with the practices and challenges of the tech industry.

Learn more about the event at web3.web.ua.pt.

April 8, 2025

UA hosts international conference on Web3 where technology and culture converge

This Friday, April 11, 2025, the University of Aveiro will host an international event that aims to position itself at the forefront of discussions about the digital future: the conference “WEB3: Tokenization, Technology and Culture,” held within the scope of BLOCKCHAIN.PT – PRR Agenda “Decentralize Portugal with Blockchain.”

At a time when decentralization, NFTs, and tokenization are gaining increasing relevance, this event represents a unique opportunity to explore the paths these technologies are opening across different fields of activity and expression.

Web3 is not just a technological evolution, it is a cultural transformation. The conference aims to explore precisely this intersection between innovation, creativity, and impact. Organized by experts from the University of Aveiro, with the support of several academic and industry partners, the event will open space for dialogue around the uses and meanings of tokenization and NFTs in areas as diverse as digital games, health, environment, governance, entertainment, and online identity.

Promoted by DigiMedia and Value for Health CoLAB (V4H), the event will feature scientific presentations, demonstrations of innovative projects, and workshops designed to bring academia closer to the realities of the industry. The bridge between knowledge and practice will be one of the key pillars of the conference, fostering an environment aimed at inspiring new ideas, partnerships, and research.

More than just a conference, it is an invitation to explore the true meaning of tokenization — not only as a technological trend, but also as a cultural phenomenon with transformative potential.

DigiMedia members, Nelson Zagalo, Ana Patrícia Oliveira, Liliana Costa and Gusatvo Ferrara, are part of the organization of this conference.

The digital future starts here! Learn more about the event at web3.web.ua.pt.

March 21, 2025

DigiMedia PhD students part of the jury at the Game Jam: fab games Final

The Game Jam: Fab Games Final took place at the Escola Secundária Sá da Bandeira, in Santarém, on 27th and 28th February. Over two days and one night, 14 teams developed a game on the theme – Across the 7 Seas: Camões, Vasco da Gama and the Future of the Oceans. Dalila Martins and Maria Ferreira, DigiMedia PhD students in New Media and Multimedia in Education, were invited by ANPRI (National Association of Computer Science Teachers) to be part of the jury of this competition. They accompanied the students during the game developement and at the end, they shared their opinion in terms of creativity, coherence with the theme, and design of the game. The winning team was “DevJogadores” from the Amadora Oeste Schools group.

March 11, 2025

Visiting researcher organized an activity on AI for the elderly

Vanessa Pinto, a visiting researcher from the Federal University of the State of Rio de Janeiro (UNIRIO) at DigiMedia, organized an activity about Artificial Intelligence for senior citizens, carried out at the Aging Laboratory on February 19, 2025.

The 2-hour session, with conceptualization and practical laboratory was the last initiative of Vanessa Pinto in Portugal, and was part of Vanessa Pinto’s PhD Sandwich Internship (PDSE-CAPES) at the UA, in the Doctoral Program in New Media, under the supervision of Prof. Maria João Antunes, from the University of Aveiro (UA), and Prof. Tania Valente, from the UNIRIO.

More information here.

February 27, 2025

DigiMedia PhD student participates in the debate Women in Science

UA researchers promote debate about women in science on March 6

The American Corner Room at the University of Aveiro will host a conversation about “Women in Science”, on March 6, at 5pm. The event will bring together researchers from the university and will be open to the entire academic community. The objective is to discuss female participation in science, the challenges faced by women and their contributions to different areas of knowledge, also promoting dialogue between academia and the public.

The mediator of the conversation circle will be Tatiana Pereira, teacher and researcher, with a degree in Portuguese/Spanish, a master’s degree in Teaching Portuguese from the University of Porto, with extensive experience in primary, secondary, professional education and teacher training. Tatiana is currently a PhD student in Language Sciences at the University of Aveiro, with a scholarship funded by FCT, and is part of the ProTextos Research Group (Department of Education and Psychology), as well as the Languages and Learning project of the Center for Languages, Literatures and Cultures (Department of Languages and Cultures) at UA.

The conversation will feature the participation of Renata Frade, a researcher and a DigiMedia PhD student, and other several UA researchers and doctoral students, including:
Ana Ramão, doctoral student linked to the Department of Civil Engineering at UA;
Márcia Rodrigues, doctoral student linked to the Department of Environment and Planning;
Lotina Burine, PhD student in Economic and Business Sciences at the Department of Economics, Management, Industrial Engineering and Tourism;
Gabriela Nicolau, post-doctorate in Cultural Studies at the UA Center for Languages, Literatures and Cultures;
Lara Almeida, PhD student in Energy Systems and Climate Change, as well as a member of the Women in Engineering collective.
This event promises to be a significant moment for exchanging ideas and experiences, reflecting on the advances and barriers that still persist for women in the field of science.

February 27, 2025

NEDD organized an info session about FCT PhD studentships

This Wednesday (26th February) the PhD Student Group of DigiMedia (NEDD) organized an information session for the upcoming call for FCT PhD Studentships. This session was led by professors Maria João Antunes and Nelson Zagalo, who were previously part of the evaluation panels in the field of Communication Sciences in the regular and non-academic environment lines of application, respectively. It was attended by 4 current PhD students and a prospect PhD student, all from the Communication Sciences field.

News

DigiMedia researcher presents work on Generative AI in Branding at the 18th Global Brand Conference

DigiMedia researcher led a workshop on AI

From Aldus Huxley to the power of creativity: DigiMedia researcher presents a keynote in the “Jornadas de Ciência 2025” event

PhD student presents recommendations to facilitate curator-led public engagement of science activities

International Web3 Conference Brings Academia and Industry Together at UA

UA hosts international conference on Web3 where technology and culture converge

DigiMedia PhD students part of the jury at the Game Jam: fab games Final

Visiting researcher organized an activity on AI for the elderly

DigiMedia PhD student participates in the debate Women in Science

NEDD organized an info session about FCT PhD studentships

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