Symposium on Materials Science and Engineering

Local: Room F106

Date: Monday, June 30^th, 2025 | 15h30

Bridging Research and Practice: The Role of PhDs in Industrial Materials Engineering

Join us for a dynamic round table exploring how PhDs in Materials Engineering are shaping the future of industrial innovation. Representatives from Palbit, ASBW Barbosa World Brass, and Zollern will share insights on translating cutting-edge research into real-world applications. Discover how these leading companies harness PhD expertise to drive technological advancements and remain competitive in a global market. We’ll discuss challenges, success stories, and the evolving role of doctoral talent in the industry. Don’t miss this opportunity to bridge the gap between academia and industry with some of the most respected names in the field.

Rui Pedro Silva

Process Development Engineer, ASBW

Biography

Rui Pedro Silva is a Process Development Engineer at Barbosa World Brass, where he is responsible for the Tooling Department and a member of the R&D team. He holds a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from FEUP. Previously, he held the position of Product and Process Engineer at INEGI, where he was responsible for the technical coordination of the casting and joining technologies team at UTAF. Up to now, he integrated the technical-scientific teams of several R&D projects with industrial partners, namely in the areas of advanced casting processes, joining technologies, material’s characterization and product development.

Francisco Oliveira

Head of Engineering, ZOLLERN

Invited Assistant Professor, FEUP

Biography

Materials and Metallurgical Engineer and Director of Engineering at ZOLLERN Portugal, with extensive experience in Industry 4.0, process optimization, and technical team leadership. PhD candidate and Invited Assistant Professor at FEUP, combining applied research with industrial practice. Expert in AI-based process control, atmospheric melting, and thermographic monitoring. Holds training in Data Science and AI from MIT and is Green Belt certified in Lean Six Sigma. Nationally awarded for both technical and educational innovation.

Cristina Fernandes

Materials Development Responsible, Palbit

Biography

Cristina Maria da Silva Fernandes (ORCID 0000-0001-9713-060X) – with a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering, she has been responsible for materials development at Palbit since 2016. Her research has focused on the development, processing, and characterization of tungsten carbide-based composites. She has authored/co-authored over 80 articles in journals indexed in the Science Citation Index (SCI; current h-index of 21) and has supervised/co-supervised 20 master’s theses, including eight internships carried out at Palbit, and she currently has 4 ongoing doctoral theses. She has industrial experience in hard metal processing, coordinating the development of materials at Palbit, particularly in powder mixing, atomization, sintering, and the characterization of these materials.

Local: Room F106

Date: Monday, June 30^th, 2025 | 17h00

Packaging of the Future: products and processes with sustainable materials

The Packaging of the Future® Mobilising Agenda stands out as one of the most innovative projects in Portugal’s the packaging sector. It aims to change the way packaging is designed, produced and used by fostering more sustainable, digital and inclusive solutions, promoting the circular economy and strengthening the competitiveness of Portuguese companies in the global market.
The Polytechnic of Leiria is present in 6 PPS (sub-projects – products, processes or services) within the scope of Materials Science and Engineering through the active involvement of two of its Research Centres, CDRSP – Centre for Rapid and Sustainable Product Development and MARE – Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre. The participation is focused on the study and characterisation of conventional, recycled and bio-based materials used in different innovative types of processes and packaging. The main contributions of the Polytechnic of Leiria, by PPS, outlined below:
In PPS01 – Food packaging made of recycled polyethylene from fossil and biological origin, is studied the flexible and rigid multilayer polyethylene (PE) packaging, containing recycled material, for food contact. This includes migration tests of the recycled PE and shelf-life assessment to evaluate the safety and performance of the recycled PE in direct contact with food (MARE) as well as mechanical testing of the PE polymers (CDRSP).
In PPS05 – New Co-Injection process for manufacturing plastic packaging incorporating recycled materials, the co-injection process is being optimised by CDRSP using the Design of Experiments methodology, incorporating a high content of recycled polymer. Chemical, mechanical, thermal, adhesion and molecular morphology characterisation studies were also carried out on the conventional and recycled polymers used in the process.
In PPS09 – Develop new light 100% natural packaging in wood for food sector, MARE has contributed to the development of natural, sustainable and compostable coatings with antioxidant and antimicrobial properties for poplar wood packaging for the commercialisation of red fruits. The team was responsible for formulating the coatings and carrying out tests to characterise them, as well as functional tests, which showed excellent results, particularly in terms of meeting the proposed objectives: preventing the packaging from dyeing, increasing the hydrophobicity of the wood and extending the shelf life of the products.
In PPS10 – New cardboard packages with unique properties for food contact and e-commerce, CDRSP and MARE have been leading the development and characterisation of innovative, safe and sustainable bio coatings for applications in paper and cardboard packaging intended for food contact, contributing to the replacement of conventional solutions with biodegradable and functionally effective alternatives.
In PPS12 – Bgreen2Pack -New premium packaging from natural origin with incorporated fragrances, CDRSP has supported the development of premium packaging solutions for the cosmetics sector, contributing to the advanced characterisation of biopolymeric materials, to create more sustainable packaging, incorporating natural fragrances.
In PPS14- Traceability Farm to Fork, MARE is developing novel proposals for increased sustainability in the packaging of strawberries, sweet potato, and insect protein powders. These novel approaches are biobased and aim to provide fast-to-market solutions to reduce plastic usage in food packaging materials, while increasing the shelf-life of food products through a tailored approach that complies with circular economy principles.

Paulo Jorge da Costa Parente Novo

Professor, Centre for Rapid and Sustainable Product Development – Polytechnic Institute of Leiria

Biography

Novo, P.J., Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering (DEM) of the School of Technology and Management of the Polytechnic of Leiria (Portugal) and Researcher of the Center for Rapid and Sustainable Product Development. PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto. The main works developed have focused on the fields of characterization and mechanics of materials and the study of their processing (especially polymers and composites). Responsible for the DEM Materials Laboratory for a decade, is coordinator and researcher in several projects, including Mobilising Agenda “Packaging of the Future” and has presented papers at national and international conferences and published them in reference journals and conference proceedings. Co-founder of a consulting firm, industrial consultant in different companies and assistant of the manufacturing director in a large metalworking organization.

Local: Room F106

Date: Tuesday, July 1^st, 2025 | 09h00

BioShoes4All: A Milestone in Sustainable Footwear Research and Innovation

BioShoes4All is the largest initiative ever launched by the Portuguese footwear cluster, involving 70 partners investing €60 million, the project drives research, innovation, and sustainability across the entire value chain.
Structured around five strategic pillars – Biomaterials, Eco-Friendly Footwear, Circular Economy, Advanced Production Technologies, and Training and Promotion – the project marks a paradigm shift in how materials and footwear are designed and produced.
It promotes: Bio-based materials, “green” footwear products and circularity; Efficient, digital, and traceable production; and Greater global competitiveness for Portuguese footwear cluster.
A true model of strategic sustainability with the potential to inspire a greener, more resilient industry, co-funded by the Portuguese Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR C12 – Sustainable Bioeconomy) and NextGenerationEU.

Maria José Pinto Ferreira

Director of the Research & Sustainability Department and Quality Control Labs, CTCP, the Portuguese Footwear Technological and Research Centre

Biography

Maria José Pinto Ferreira holds a graduation in Chemistry, a Master in Environmental Sciences, and a PhD in Environmental Engineering. Her research activity is carried out at CTCP in cooperation with industrial companies and R&I entities in Portugal and across Europe, being focused on new materials and processes, sustainability, products with lower environmental impact and recycling. He has coordinated at CTCP more than 60 projects and is the BioShoes4All PRR project coordinator.