Instalation Map

Nabila As’ad, Indonesia

PhD in Industrial Engineering and Management

I first came as a Master’s student at FEUP in 2012-2014. The unforgettable experience I had during those 2 years is one of the reasons why I decided to choose FEUP for a Doctorate study. The other reason is my supervisor who is a well-known researcher within my topic of interest, Service Design and Innovation. I am blessed for having the opportunity to work with her and the other professors at my department because they have opened the networks for me to join this research community. Not to mention, I feel like a Doctoral study is both a research training and a life training.

The academic environment I have during my Doctoral study is different from the one during my Master study. During this doctoral study, I work in a collaborative room with other Doctorate students from my department. Since I am the type of person who cannot work alone in a room, I find it motivating. Furthermore, being on this space with other students opens the opportunities for collaboration works. However, I am less exposed to multi-cultural experiences compared to my Erasmus days. This is a call for having more multi-cultural events those involving doctoral students.

Regarding the city of Porto, I have no doubt in saying that the Portuguese in Porto (i.e. the Portuense) are the ones who make me feel at home. The Portuguese speak more Portuguese than English, of course. I do not think of this as a constraint, but more as a free learning venue to train my Portuguese language. The second one that makes me feel at home is the food! Who could resist those grilled seafoods (grilled octopus, in particular, for me), bacalhau, and pasteis de nata?! As an Indonesian, I have no difficulties in adapting to the Portuguese foods as Portuguese also eat a lot of rice for meals (Ps. For many Indonesians, a meal is not considered as a meal unless it has rice). Indonesian community in Porto (or Portugal in general) is very small compared to other Western European countries, but I value the interactions and close relationship within this small community.

In short, I do recommend (and challenge) you to take full advantages of studying in FEUP while enjoying Porto to the fullest. Being away from our home country is hard, but it develops us to be a tougher and more independent person day by day.

Shi Qian, China

PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering

Words cannot express how privileged I am for having the chance to accomplish my PhD in this wonderful country and getting to know all friendly colleagues, supervisors, and staff members during my degree. University of Porto is an excellent choice to carry out productive research, enhance and exploit skills, and positively contribute to the research done in different fields. FEUP provides the best equipments, as well as high level guidance; the lecturers and professors always deliver the knowledge with passion. The university also stands for an international learning atmosphere. As a PhD candidate, I enjoy the access to a range of services and activities created to promote international communication. I would dare to say that studying here promotes a lifelong scientific mind and strong personality to deal with the challenges we will encounter in the future.

Portugal is an open country, similar to other Europe countries in education and culture. Since the English language is widely used, students from different countries are attracted to this multicultural environment, where activities to promote student mobility in Europe, such as Erasmus, are widely encouraged.

Living in Portugal is generally very pleasant, the climate is nice and there is much free space to stroll along or play sports. Portugal is for sure one of the best tourist destinations in Europe!

Marcelo Petry, Brazil

PhD in Informatics Engineering

I got to know the Faculty during an international mobility programme, where I had the chance to attend inspiring classes, to meet highly motivating professors and develop skills in the area of engineering that fascinated me most: robotics. So I decided to extend my stay in Oporto by another six months. I took advantage of this extra time to do my Integrated Master’s dissertation and get closer contacts with teachers and researchers in the area. When the mobility time ended, I went back to Brazil, but never lost contact with FEUP. A year later I was back here, this time to start a longer stay – for my doctorate. I chose the Faculty on the basis of its high academic indices, its prestigious international reputation and the intense interaction with centres of excellence in research. Being part of the FEUP community has been one of the best experiences in my life.

Mohammad Abdellatif, Egypt

PhD in Telecommunications

All my life I have been interested in traveling and meeting new people from different cultures and languages. This was one of the main reasons why I searched for a PhD program in Europe. And since FEUP is one of the top engineering faculties in Europe, I did not hesitate to come here when I received the acceptance letter. I’m also doing research at INESC Porto, a FEUP’s interface institute, where I have the pleasure of working with many smart and hard working people.

The research I have been working for since I came here is amazing, we join many projects which keep us connected to the advances in science and technology all over the world. We always have group meetings where everyone talks about his/her work. This keeps us connected to each other’s work as well as allows a researcher to receive help when he is stuck.

When I came here I had a scholarship from INESC, but as from 2010 I receive an FCT scholarship. This scholarship has made my life much easier, paying for the tuition fees and travel expenses. I truly believe that any student coming to Portugal should apply for this.

The PhD is in English, which helps a lot. Although there are some people who can’t speak English, most of the university staff speaks English and is really helpful. Unfortunately, many of the important pages in FEUP’s website are not displayed in English, which quite annoys me.

As for Porto itself, this is a completely different topic. I love Porto! In my opinion, it has the perfect size for a city: not too big and not too small. It has nice beaches although with freezing water. The historical part of the city is great., even if it needs some restoration work. It always calms me down to walk around the city centre. And with the airport nearby, one can easily go for a weekend trip to any of the many European destinations.

When I came here I did not think that I’d have this much fun, but it seems I was wrong. I would easily recommend Porto and FEUP to any student searching for a good university and a great city to do his PhD.

Giulio Bianchi Piccinini, Italy

PhD in Transportation Systems

I started my PhD in Transportation Systems in 2010 in the frame of an European Marie Curie Action called ADAPTATION. Before joining FEUP, I worked in the automotive industry for 3 years and I was looking for a new challenge in my professional life. At that time, the idea of doing a PhD seemed to be a great opportunity to widen my knowledge in a specific area of studies.

Since my project involved an organization located in Lisbon, I spent most of my time working there. At FEUP, I am now performing my research at the “Laboratório de Análise de Tráfego”, in the Department of Civil Engineering, along with other PhD students. It was easy to integrate in the group, partly thanks to the welcoming reception. It is true that cultural differences exist, but I do not consider them as an obstacle. For me, this is a great opportunity to become familiar with other cultures and I firmly consider that programmes, such as Erasmus and Marie Curie Actions, are a true incentive to the removal of barriers between individuals.

Overall, I would recommend to start or continue your education here at FEUP. The infrastructures of the Faculty, the study programmes provided, the kindness and availability of the professors and the enjoyable city of Porto makes it an excellent place to study at.

Américo Dimande, Mozambique

PhD in Civil Engineering

My journey at FEUP started on May 2001, when I came to finish my bachelor’s degree thesis, which I had started in Eduardo Mondlane University in Mozambique.

I was placed in LABEST, a research unit of FEUP. Like most African students who arrive in a European country come from a totally different culture and society, I had some problems integrating into the community. Nonetheless, these difficulties quickly disappeared since FEUP is very well aware of these issues and has a specialised Co-operation Office that supports and helps with the integration of international students into the academic community. Porto also has two Mozambican Associations, “Associação Portugal-Moçambique” e “Associação Cívica Moçambicana”, that spread the Mozambican culture and try to integrate Mozambican students into the Portuguese community.

From the beginning, I realised that I was at a very prestigious institution that trusts and invests in the potential of each student searching for knowledge, quality of information and personalised attention. FEUP also offers a high quality teaching staff that provides student support, dynamic classes, and study and technological resources available to the whole student community. FEUP isn’t just a technology production machine; it is a world, a society that cares about the well-being of its students, teachers and staff.

Besides the studies, I am also involved in leisure activities available to the academic community, like concerts, sports, literature clubs, etc.

My involvement in many research projects has contributed greatly to my professional and scientific development and makes me certain of the valuable contribution that I can give to the technological and scientific development of Mozambique.

Seyed Mohsen Mirkhalaf Valashani, Iran

Doctoral Program in Mechanical Engineering

I strongly believe that studying overseas is a great opportunity for students to familiarise themselves with a completely different culture and language. To my knowledge, Portuguese is the fifth or sixth most-spoken first language in the world. Consequently, studying in Portugal, learning the language and becoming familiar with the country’s culture can be considered as a worthwhile opportunity. In addition, I personally like Porto very much because of its temperate weather, natural beauty and, most importantly, its historical heritage and architectural centre. It is worthwhile mentioning that Porto is included in UNESCO’s world heritage list.

As a student at FEUP, there are many aspects that I consider essential to mention. The university staff are very helpful and they always try to help students. From my own experience, our assistant registrar helped me to sort everything, from the day I was informed that I had been accepted to the day I completed all my registration and visa processes. My supervisor also gives me great support in completing my PhD thesis. In addition, there are collaborations and joint programmes between the University of Porto and very good universities such as MIT. This provides opportunities for research students to pursue a part of their studies in foreign universities.

All in all, I am really happy to be studying here and I would recommend anyone to continue their studies at FEUP.

Anton Sabaleuski, Republic of Belarus

Leaders for Technical Industries - MIT Portugal Programme

I’m really enjoying this international experience which is giving me a broader view of the world and creating unforgettable moments in my professional and personal life. During my undergraduate years, I participated in programmes for Baltic countries and Central Europe, the Balkans and the Middle East. For the next level of education, my intention was to be a part of an international programme in Western Europe. Since I am a mechanical engineer, I felt like continuing my education in that field. However, I wanted to acquire more knowledge on “Engineering Management” and not to be focused on purely mechanical stuff. So, the MIT Portugal Programme EDAM area was the best solution for me.

I was lucky to get a scholarship from FCT – Portuguese Foundation to Support Science and Technological Innovations. The scholarship covers all food and accommodation expenses, covers part of the travel costs and provides you with some money to attend conferences and scientific meetings. Any candidate applying for the programme can apply for the scholarship as well.

I am really pleased with my decision given that EDAM brings an MIT ESD (Engineering Systems Division) approach to solving complex engineering problems and a systems view to regular engineering practice. The programme is supported by three Portuguese Universities: IST, UMinho and FEUP. My lectures have been held in each of these universities and I can definitely say that FEUP is my favourite. It is a question not only of modern work rooms and laboratories, but also of a special atmosphere, a UP culture, the attitude of people around you and the great food available on the campus.

The advantages of taking part in an international programme are countless: different ways of doing business, different cultures and attitudes, new languages, new friends, new professors and new opportunities. The programme itself has students from Germany, Greece, Turkey, Brazil, Portugal, etc., and each course has professors from Boston.

New world reality requires cross-boundary specialists to deal with complex problems. The MIT Portugal Programme is helping us to become the kind of specialists that enable tolerance and provide high professionalism, which is extremely true for me, a student from small Belarus. I think that each student aiming for an excellent international career should take part in one of these programmes. p>

Md. Haider Ali Biswas, Bangladesh

Doctoral Programme in Electrical and Computer Engineering

I am a professor of mathematics at Khulna University, Bangladesh. I chose to do my Doctoral Programme at FEUP for several reasons. First, FEUP is one of the best faculties in Europe and, so far, the best in Portugal. Secondly, the Portuguese weather is very similar to that in my own country. Thirdly, I benefited from a FEUP grant in the beginning, and I’m benefitting from an FCT (Portuguese Foundation to Support Science and Technological Innovations) grant now, which is good.

In addition, FEUP is an internationally acknowledged university, so its students and graduates are recognised around the world. Many international students from many different countries come here to study, which makes it easy to integrate into the student community and into the department. My Portuguese colleagues are very helpful.

Finally, national and international seminars and workshops take place at FEUP almost every week, so anyone can access the recent developments in the different areas of research, which is a huge advantage. All the necessary facilities and equipments are available here. FEUP has a rich library with many recent books, journals and papers. The only problem is that not everything is in English, so as foreign students, we face difficulties when we want to use the website, for instance, which is mainly in Portuguese.

I would definitely advise other students to study at FEUP: they can achieve an internationally recognised degree, enjoy the great facilities offered, and discover the great city of Porto.

Narsireddy Anugu, India

Doctoral Programme in Physics Engineering

My main motivation for undertaking a PhD program in the Faculty of Engineering was the desire to get a doctoral degree in four years from one of the top universities in Europe and more so because I was offered a scholarship to pursue my PhD.

I was attracted by the research going on my area of interest (astrophysics instrumentation) and the group participation in international projects. In my opinion, FEUP is a very innovative place that enables me to be creative. There is a culture of search for excellence in research in this FEUP’s group. The Faculty environment is very conducive for research students as well as supportive and flexible. In addition, academic life in the Faculty is very collegiate, with a strong focus on research oriented activities. If you come to facilities available, FEUP has extremely good facilities for research. Also, the library facilities are excellent.

Regarding cultural issues, as I come from India, I see there are very interesting cultural differences, which are very easy to adapt to, and I am very fortunate to experience such a rich cultural diversity. When I arrived to Porto, first few days, I found that language was the biggest problem for me but people here are very friendly and helped me to overcome that. Right now I feel that I like Porto city more than my home town.

There are plenty of opportunities when someone studies abroad. Students can meet people from all over the world. Moreover, living in such a multicultural environment enables you to grow personally. Finally, I am quite sure that it develops our self-confidence and the abilities that we did not possess before we began school.

My FEUP experience is the best I could have asked for, until now. I also have a very good supervision constantly pushing me to excel in the subject field. I would surely recommend FEUP to anyone looking for a PhD in engineering fields.