June 1, 2026

DigiMedia strengthens academic collaboration through Erasmus+ Mobility at Ionian University

Catarina Lélis, researcher and integrated member of the DigiMedia Scientific Council, undertook an Erasmus+ mobility at Ionian University, in Kefalonia, Greece, in May.

During her visit, Catarina Lélis delivered two interactive workshops focusing on Dynamic Visual Identities and Brand Semiotics, providing an engaging platform for knowledge exchange and discussion with students and academic staff at the host university.

This initiative also included meetings with colleagues from the Department of Digital Media and Communication, during which opportunities for future collaboration were explored, such as the development of a Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) and the preparation of joint research and educational project proposals.

This mobility aimed to strengthen DigiMedia’s international network and fostering new opportunities for academic and scientific collaboration between the two institutions.

May 25, 2026

NETSCO Partners Strengthen Collaboration on Sustainable Consumption Research in Aveiro

From 21–23 April 2026, researchers and academic partners of the ECIU SEED 1 NETSCO – Network for Sustainable Consumption Research project gathered at University of Aveiro for a three-day meeting dedicated to collaboration, knowledge exchange, and future project development.

The event brought together colleagues from KTU School of Economics and Business, Linköping University, and the DigiMedia research unit at the University of Aveiro. Participants included Pedro Beça, Mónica Aresta, Sofia Ribeiro, and Gonçalo Gomes from DigiMedia; Lars Witell, Mikael Ottosson, Hugo Guyader, and Jasenko Arsenovic from Linköping University; and Agnė Gadeikienė, Jūratė Banytė, Aistė Dovalienė, Asta Švarcaitė, and Greta Dargytė from KTU School of Economics and Business.

Throughout the meeting, partners engaged in open discussions, workshops, and networking activities focused on developing joint project proposals and expanding cooperation in several key areas, including sustainable consumption research, experiential and game-based learning, science communication, and university–industry collaboration. The exchanges highlighted the importance of combining diverse disciplinary perspectives to address contemporary sustainability challenges.

One of the highlights of the programme was the field activity organised with Associação BioLiving at Quinta Ecológica da Moita. The experience reinforced the value of experiential learning and demonstrated how hands-on activities can foster deeper engagement with sustainability topics.

The third day of the meeting also featured a series of keynote talks and project presentations centred on sustainability, communication, and creative engagement. Sessions included a presentation on science communication by Beatriz Vieite; the project MOVES-IT: Moving On Valorization and Engagement towards Sustainability through IntelligenceTools; and Let the Microorganisms Speak: Integrating Scientific Illustration and Impact Assessment in Microbiology Communication.

Beyond the academic agenda, the gathering strengthened personal and institutional connections among the partners. Despite coming from different research traditions and backgrounds, participants shared a common motivation: to connect knowledge, learn from one another, and create meaningful and impactful collaborations for the future.

May 15, 2026

UC3M Researcher Joins DigiMedia for International Collaboration on Educational AI

Alberto Jimenez Macías, an Assistant Professor at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) with a PhD in Telematics, is currently undertaking a three-month research stay at the DigiMedia, as part of an international collaboration with the UC3M and the Gradient research group, under teh supervision of the DigiMedia researcher Luís Pedro.

During his stay, he is working on the GENIELearn project, fostering synergies with different DigiMedia’s initiatives. The collaboration aims to bridge generative artificial intelligence research with collaborative assistant systems based on large language models, enabling the integration of conversational agents into student-facing dashboards.

The visit also supports the exchange of expertise in machine learning algorithms, predictive models, and educational AI applications. From a human-computer interaction (HCI) perspective, the work contributes qualitative methodologies for assessing multidimensional student engagement. This cross-disciplinary collaboration is expected to strengthen research outputs and lead to joint high-impact scientific publications.

May 14, 2026

DigiMedia participates in CNIPES mission to Sweden with contribution on AI in higher education

Between 26 April and 1 May 2026, two members of DigiMedia, Filipe Silva and Nelson Zagalo, were part of the Portuguese delegation that participated in the CNIPES mission to Sweden, dedicated to exploring research-informed approaches to pedagogical innovation in higher education. The mission included visits to KTH Royal Institute of Technology, in Stockholm, and Uppsala University, bringing together Portuguese higher education representatives in a programme focused on academic development, discipline-based education research, internationalisation, inclusion, student support, artificial intelligence, and institutional governance.

DigiMedia’s main contribution to the mission was centred on the integration of artificial intelligence in higher education. Building on the centre’s ongoing research in this area, DigiMedia contributed to discussions on how Portuguese higher education institutions can move beyond fragmented or tool-based approaches to AI and develop more coherent strategies that connect pedagogical innovation, institutional governance, ethical principles, and evidence-based decision-making. This contribution positioned AI not as an isolated technological trend, but as a structural dimension of higher education transformation, with implications for teaching, learning, academic support, institutional strategy, and the relationship between policy and practice.

The mission aimed to observe how leading Swedish universities connect research, policy, and practice in teaching and learning. Rather than focusing on isolated examples of innovation, the programme emphasized systemic approaches capable of aligning pedagogical development with institutional strategy, quality assurance, governance structures, and long-term educational transformation. These discussions were particularly relevant to DigiMedia’s work, as the responsible integration of AI in higher education also requires institutional coherence, clear governance models, and sustained collaboration between researchers, decision-makers, teachers, students, and support services.

This mission connected directly with DigiMedia’s ongoing work on higher education transformation, research-informed innovation, and the relationship between institutional strategy and educational practice. By bringing the AI integration dimension into the mission, DigiMedia strengthened its contribution to national reflection on how Portuguese higher education institutions can develop more coherent, inclusive, evidence-based, and future-oriented models of pedagogical innovation.

The CNIPES mission to Sweden reinforced a central principle: pedagogical innovation is most effective when it is embedded in institutional systems rather than developed through isolated initiatives. By participating in this mission, DigiMedia contributed to a broader national debate on how Portuguese higher education can strengthen its capacity for strategic, sustainable, and research-informed educational transformation in a period increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.

April 22, 2026

DigiMedia researcher Jenifer Grieger receives Best PhD Thesis Award in Brazil

Jenifer Daiane Grieger has been awarded the Best PhD Thesis of 2025 by the Graduate Program in Information Management at the Federal University of Paraná, Brazil.

The distinction was granted for her thesis entitled “Body Image on Instagram: A Study on Filters and Vulnerabilities in Digital Platforms”, supervised by Professor Rodrigo Eduardo Botelho Francisco and co-supervised by Professor Lídia de Jesus Oliveira, a DigiMedia researcher.

Jenifer Grieger was a PhD student on a cotutelle doctoral program between the Doctorate in New Media at the University of Aveiro (UA) and in Information Management at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR), and she defended her PhD thesis in December 2025.

During her doctoral studies, Jenifer Grieger conducted part of her research at DigiMedia, strengthening international collaboration and contributing to the advancement of knowledge in the field of digital media.

March 19, 2026

DigiMedia PhD student joins Let’s CHAOS Programme on Inclusive Systems Design

Joana Raminhos da Silveira, a PhD student in Multimedia in Education at the University of Aveiro, was selected to participate in the Let’s CHAOS (Let’s Create a High-tech Accessible Opportunities for a Sustainable Future). As part of this initiative, she completed an intensive on-site mobility period at the Łódź University of Technology (TUL), an ECIU (European Consortium of Innovative Universities) member in Poland.

During the programme, Joana applied Challenge-Based Learning (CBL) methodologies to the field of Inclusive Systems Design. Working with an interdisciplinary team, she focused on human-centric solutions aimed at supporting children with limb differences and their families.

The experience provided advanced training in emerging technologies and fostered international collaboration with researchers and experts from the ECIU network.

March 12, 2026

Maria Júlia Vieira develops doctoral research on gender and video game streaming during Erasmus+ mobility in Norway

Maria Júlia Vieira, a PhD student in the Doctoral Program in New Media, carried out a research mobility under the Erasmus+ program at the University of Stavanger (Norway), during the month of February. The visit took place at the Centre for Gender Studies under the supervision of Professor Elisabeth Lund Engebretsen.

The main goal of the mobility was to further develop her doctoral research, which focuses on female inclusion and representation in video game live streaming culture. During her stay, the doctoral researcher had the opportunity to interact with scholars working in the field of gender studies, fostering an interdisciplinary dialogue between New Media, Gender Studies, and digital culture. This academic exchange helped enrich the theoretical framework of the research and broaden critical perspectives on gender issues in digital environments and online communities.

As part of the activities carried out during the visit, Maria Júlia Vieira presented her research seminar at the Centre for Gender Studies, where she shared the progress and current development stages of her doctoral thesis. The session included the participation of department members and provided constructive discussions and expert feedback, which contributed to refining the methodological and conceptual framework of her doctoral project. This experience represented a significant opportunity for the internationalization of her research, allowing her not only to share her work in an international academic context but also to integrate new theoretical and methodological approaches relevant to the study of gender dynamics in contemporary digital culture.

News

DigiMedia strengthens academic collaboration through Erasmus+ Mobility at Ionian University

NETSCO Partners Strengthen Collaboration on Sustainable Consumption Research in Aveiro

UC3M Researcher Joins DigiMedia for International Collaboration on Educational AI

DigiMedia participates in CNIPES mission to Sweden with contribution on AI in higher education

DigiMedia researcher Jenifer Grieger receives Best PhD Thesis Award in Brazil

DigiMedia PhD student joins Let’s CHAOS Programme on Inclusive Systems Design

Maria Júlia Vieira develops doctoral research on gender and video game streaming during Erasmus+ mobility in Norway

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