Hélder Puga
PhD - Associate Professor w/ Habilitation – University of Minho
Hélder Puga is an internationally recognized expert in advanced manufacturing technologies, with over a decade of research in casting, additive manufacturing, and hybrid processing. His work focuses on advanced casting methods, ultrasonic melt treatment, and integrating acoustic systems into additive and subtractive manufacturing to enhance material properties and process efficiency. He has led and collaborated on numerous national and international research initiatives involving academia and industry. Dr. Puga has made pioneering contributions to ultrasonic-assisted manufacturing, particularly in ultrasonic melt refinement and ultrasonic-assisted machining, and holds several registered patents in ultrasonic processing technologies. His research has driven innovations in sustainable and hybrid metal processing, including the combination of investment casting with additive manufacturing and weld-deposition modeling. He is the author of over 110 peer-reviewed publications, recipient of the 2025 Best Paper Award from the American Foundry Society, and has been ranked among the Top 2% of World Scientists by Elsevier/Stanford (2022 and 2023).
Areas of Interest: Additive manufacturing / Casting / Component design / Machine tools Technology / Ultrasonic Processing / Sustainable Manufacturing / Tool design / Welding
Inês Varela Gomes
PhD – Post-Doctoral
I.V. Gomes got her Ph.D. in Leaders for Technical Industries – Engineering Design and Advanced Manufacturing from the University of Minho in December 2022. Currently, she is a doctoral researcher within the INOV.AM - Inovação em Fabrico Aditivo project, and is responsible for the numerical modeling of the high-pressure die casting process of aluminium parts. She is a researcher member of the Center for MicroElectroMechanics Systems (CMEMS) and has supervised/co-supervised 5+ master's theses in Mechanical Engineering. Since 2020/2021, she has been an invited assistant in the Mechanical Department of the University of Minho, for lecturing on Numerical Modeling and Simulation, Technical Drawing, Computer Aided Manufacturing, and Virtual Product Development, among other curricular units. Recently, her research proposal, AeroSonic: A Hybrid Technology focused on Acoustophoresis and Seaweed-Derived Aerogels for Microplastic Removal, was awarded funding from Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia to develop an ultrasound-based technology to remove microplastics from wastewater, opening a new research line.
Her research is focused on, but not limited to: (i) Light alloys – Aluminium and Magnesium – ultrasonic processing. (ii) Numerical modeling for structural analyses (iii) Numerical modelling of casting processes (iv) Acoustophoresis-based processes.
Vitor Carneiro
PhD
VH Carneiro (PhD, Mechanical engineering) is an Assistant Professor (@Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro) and Integrated Researcher (@INESC-TEC). His research activities are devoted to the design and manufacturing of metal-based lightweight cellular solids with enhanced structural strength and vibration damping. During his PhD, he also studied 3D/4D X-ray microCT techniques for the macro-, meso- and microstructural characterization of lattices fabricated by a novel hybrid additive manufacturing assisted investment casting technique as a Visiting Researcher @ Henry Royce Institute (UK). He is the author/co-author of >50 indexed journal papers, guest editor in special issues in international journals, and frequently reviews submissions for relevant journals in his field. He also disseminates findings among peers through the presentation of his research in international conferences/workshops, both as a presenter and invited speaker. VH Carneiro has been awarded a Seal of Excellence by the European Commission and the 'Engª Cruz Azevedo' award by the Portuguese Association for Experimental Stress Analysis.
VH Carneiro is also a founding member of the SAMmeeting conference series. As a Lecturer @ School of Science and Technology (UTAD), he teaches courses related with Dynamics of Structures&Vibration, Structural Mechanics and CAD/CAE/CAM. His future works are planned to be related to the extrapolation of the techniques/materials that have been developed in his research to industrial-scale.
José Grilo
PhD Student
José Luís Grilo is currently a PhD student of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minho with a scholarship from FCT with reference 2020.08564.BD. The objective of his work is the study of the die casting of aluminium-based metal matrix composite. His scientific scope ranges from advanced material processing to microstructure and electrochemical characterization of light alloys such as magnesium and aluminium based alloys. With a proneness for casting and machining based processes, his work involves the use of non-traditional methods, such as ultrasonic resonance, to process lightweight alloys such as magnesium and aluminium based alloys.
Additionally, his current work has focused on the introduction of integrated cooling in die-casting molds through additive manufacturing.
José Fernandes
PhD Student
José Fernandes is a PhD student in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minho and University of Ghent, studying the sono-based processes for removal of pharmaceuticals from wastewater. Within the NBSINFRA project, he contributes to research on integrating nature-based solutions into local urban infrastructure for climate resilience. Previously, he gained international experience as a Técnico Superior at Hammer Drum Ltd. in Switzerland and served as a researcher at the Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology (CBMA). Throughout his academic path, he has received 8 awards and honors, including the recent 1st place in the PhD/Researchers Category of the H2O & SUSTAINABILITY INNOVATION HUB Call for Projects (2025) with the project USludge4Fertilizer, and the distinction of "Young Changemaker of Portugal" in 2021.
His research is focused on, but not limited to: (i) Ultrasound-assisted processes for removing contaminants of emerging concern; (ii) Acoustic cavitation characterization and optimization; (iii) sustainability.
