He was born in Aveiro in 1956, the city where he completed his basic, secondary and university education.
At the University of Aveiro he completed a BSc degree in Electronic and Telecommunications Engineering in 1979, a PhD in Electrical Engineering/Telecommunications Systems in 1992, and the Aggregation title in Communication and Art/Multimedia Communication Systems in 2001.
After completing his BSc degree, he worked as an engineer at Datamatic -Aplicações de Informática Lda (Braga, 1979-1981) and Renault Portuguesa SA (Aveiro, 1981-1982).
He began his career as a university professor at the University of Aveiro in 1982, having worked in the Department of Electronics and Telecommunications as a Trainee Assistant (1982-1985), Assistant (1985-1992), Assistant Professor (1992-1998) and Associate Professor (1998-2000). In 2000, he was invited by the then Rector, Professor Júlio Pedrosa, to take up positions in the Department of Communication and Art (area of Communication Sciences and Technologies), where he was Associate Professor (2000-2001), Associate Professor with Habilitation (2001-2003) and Full Professor (2003-2021). He has been a Visiting Full Professor since September 2021.
Throughout his academic career he held a wide range of management positions at the University of Aveiro, namely: President of the Board of Directors of the Department of Electronics and Telecommunications (1994-1999), President of the Board of Directors of the Department of Communication and Art (2001-2005), Director of CEMED-Multimedia Center and Distance Education (1999-2010), President of the Executive Committee of UNAVE (2004-2014), Scientific Coordinator of CETAC.MEDIA-Center for Studies in Communication Sciences and Technologies (2008-2012), Scientific Coordinator of the AlticeLabs@UA Laboratory (2017-2021), Scientific Coordinator of the DigiMedia Research Center-Digital Media and Interaction (2015-2020). He was Director of the Doctoral Program in Information and Communication in Digital Platforms (2008-2014), a joint program of the Universities of Aveiro and Porto, Vice-Director of the Doctoral Program in Multimedia in Education at the University of Aveiro (2008-2014), and Director of the Doctoral Program in New Media (2020-2021).
He has taught courses in the Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Electronic Engineering and Telecommunications, the Bachelor’s degree in New Communication Technologies, the Master’s degree in Multimedia Communication, and the doctoral programs in Information and Communication in Digital Platforms and in Multimedia in Education. He has supervised 12 post-doctoral internships, 18 students in the PhD programs in Information and Communication in Digital Platforms and in Multimedia in Education, and more than 40 students in the Master’s degrees in Electronics and Telecommunications and in Multimedia Communication.
In terms of scientific research, he was coordinator and researcher in more than 30 R&D projects in the areas of Multimedia Communication Systems, eLearning and Distance Education, and Digital Media in Territorial Innovation, granting competitive funding from FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology, FCG-Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, PT-Portugal Telecom, AlticeLabs, CCDRC/PT 2020, European Commission (Transports , Telematics , eHealth programs). He was president of the organizing committee of several national and international scientific conferences and events (INDC’98, eLES’04, IV SOPCOM 2005, TRACER 2014, InternetDay 2017, SLERD’2017), member of the Scientific Committee of a large number of international conferences, including: CHALLENGES, CeNTER, CISCI, CINDU, CISTI, CSEDU, EJML, iLRN , SIIE, SLERD, TALE, TicEDUCA. He is a member of the editorial board/reviewer of several scientific journals, including: COMUNICAR, COGENT, EKS, IJEDICT, IxD&A, JDMI, OBS, OPEN PRAXIS, Studies in HE, WJE. He is the author/ co-author of more than 250 scientific publications, including books, book chapters, articles in international and national journals, and communications in peer-reviewed conference proceedings.
He has always maintained an intense collaboration in activities within the national and international academic community, namely: International consultant in the areas of Digital Media, eLearning and Distance Education, for international and national organizations: European Commission, EACEA-European Agency for Culture, Education and Audiovisual (ERASMUS Program), AfDB-African Development Bank, Ministries of Economy and Industry of Portugal, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, University of Cape Verde, Eduardo Mondlane University (Mozambique), Agostinho Neto University (Angola), National University of Timor Lorosa’e, Botho University (Botswana), INED-National Institute of Distance Education (Mozambique), ISCED-Higher Institute of Distance Education (Mozambique). He was a member of multiple evaluation panels for national and international R&D projects and academic grants: European Commission (e- Health, Transport, Telematics programs), EACEA (Erasmus Mundus), COST, FCT-Foundation for Science and Technology, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Ministry of Industry, IPQ-Portuguese Institute of Quality. He coordinated the team of experts from different scientific areas created by CRUP to support the reorganization of the National University of Timor Lorosa’e (2012-2014). He chaired the Distance Learning Commission of A3ES-Agency for the Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Education (2020-2021).
He also acted as Portugal’s representative at IFIP TC3-Education (1998-2008), Portuguese contact point for IOSCL- International Observatory on Smart Cities Learning (2013-2015), member of the Executive Committee of ASLERD- Association for Smart Learning Ecosystems and Regional Development (2015-2017).
He has been Rector of the Portucalense Infante D. Henrique University since September 2021.
DeCA, University of Aveiro
Campus Universitário de Santiago
3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal