08-01-2026
Hugo Pereira, a Computer Engineering student, was the second NOVA FCT student selected for a Ph.D. scholarship under the Affiliated Ph.D. Programs of the Carnegie Mellon Portugal partnership, for the 2025/2026 academic year.
The scholarship is in the area of Computer Science and will allow the student to develop advanced research in Network Security and Privacy-Enhancing Technologies.
The doctoral path will be carried out at NOVA FCT, in collaboration with Carnegie Mellon University, strengthening transatlantic scientific collaboration in Information and Communication Technologies (ICT).
Hugo Pereira’s Ph.D. project focuses on Network Security and Privacy‑Enhancing Technologies, seeking to create solutions that make distributed systems more secure and better protect users’ data. These areas are increasingly relevant in a context of generalized digitalization and rising cyber threats worldwide.
“I hope to tackle complex research challenges, leverage transatlantic collaboration and grow as a researcher, contributing to the advancement of secure and privacy‑enhancing technologies,” says the student, adding that a visit to CERN during high school cemented his interest in science and technology.
The selection of both students confirms NOVA FCT’s continued presence among the Portuguese institutions with the strongest participation in the Carnegie Mellon Portugal program.
The Carnegie Mellon Portugal program, created in 2007, aims to bring academia and industry closer together and to strengthen academic ties between Portugal and the United States of America. The Affiliated Ph.D. scholarships, funded by the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation, enable students to pursue a joint doctoral path between Portuguese institutions and Carnegie Mellon University, including up to one year of research in an international context.
