Jorge Semião is Coordinating Professor at the University of Algarve and Senior Researcher at INESC-ID Lisbon, with a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico. His research focuses on electronic systems, IoT, fault detection, non-intrusive monitoring, and AI-based applications in energy, agriculture, and cyber-physical systems. He has participated in and coordinated multiple national and European R&D projects, including Horizon Europe and Interreg initiatives, and is Author of several scientific publications, book chapters, and patents. He also serves as Editor of international conference proceedings and special journal issues in electronics and power systems.Professor Nelson Sousa graduated in Mechanical Engineering in 1997 and earned his Ph.D. in 2014 from Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), University of Lisbon, Portugal. He is currently Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Institute of Engineering, University of Algarve. Over the years, he has held management positions within the department and played a key role in developing several academic programs. He has been actively involved in projects related to sustainable energy and mobility, as well as in establishing an accredited laboratory for testing biomass combustion equipment. His research focuses on solid fuel combustion, and the torrefaction of biomass and refuse-derived fuel (RDF), with several publications in peer-reviewed journals and international conferences.Rui M. S. Cruz holds a Ph.D. in biotechnology, with expertise in food science and engineering (2009). He is Adjunct Professor in the Department of Food Engineering, ISE, University of Algarve, and Researcher at MED and CHANGE. His research focuses on biodegradable food packaging and innovative food processing technologies. He has participated in and evaluated numerous research projects, authored over 45 journal papers and book chapters, and presented widely at national and international conferences. He has edited 5 international books and reviewed more than 3,250 manuscripts. He has also served as Editor for more than 170 papers. He is Member of the editorial boards of several international journals, including LWT–Food Science and Technology, Applied Food Research, Discover Food, Food Control, Foods, and Frontiers in Food Science and Technology.Gonçalo Prates is Adjunct Professor at the University of Algarve’s Instituto Superior de Engenharia, where he has taught since 1997. He holds a Ph.D. in geodesy and geophysics from the Universidad de Cádiz, Spain. His research focuses on the Earth’s lithospheric response to tectonic and volcanic processes, as well as to tidal (Ocean Tide Load) and glacial (Glacial Isostatic Adjustment) surface loads, using space geodesy techniques such as Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) and Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). He has collaborated with the Spanish Active Volcanism Group during unrest episodes and submarine eruptions near El Hierro (Canary Islands) and participated in Antarctic campaigns to monitor volcanic activity at Deception Island and quantify permafrost-related geomorphological dynamics via remote sensing, satellite imagery, photogrammetry, and UAVs. Prates’s work bridges geophysics, volcanology, and environmental change, contributing to both field and remote sensing research in Earth sciences.
