IST-Phys​Front'26 

2nd IST-Ph​​ysics Frontier Symposium

16th September 2026
Técnico Innovation Center (TIC)

Research Highlight Session (all Scientific Areas)

Student Poster Sessions​ and Prizes

Research Opportunities

Outstanding Student Invited Talks

Best MEFT video prize 

LEFT/MEFT Student Innovation Prize

The IST-PhysFront Symposium is an annual scientific event organised by the Department of Physics of Instituto Superior Técnico (DF-IST). It showcases cutting-edge research conducted by DF-IST researchers and students.

Students from all three Physics cycles of study are invited to present their work in any subject/scientific area during poster sessions. A prize will be awarded for the best LEFT, MEFT and PhD poster. If you wish to submit a poster fill the form available here.

To highlight the excellence of student contributions, the symposium will feature a selection of outstanding student talks covering a range of research topics.

Registration is mandatory to everyone who wishes to attend/participate. Register here.

Organising Committee:


DF |António Ferraz (DF & CeFEMA), Filipe Joaquim (DF & CFTP), Filipe Mendes (DF & IN+), Ilídio Lopes (DF & CENTRA), Patricia Muíño (DF & LIP), Rafael Almeida (DF & IPFN), Jorge Vieira (DF & IPFN)


NFIST |Clara Andrade, Sofia Obrist, Teresa Coelho, Vitória Ferreira


Physis |Beatriz Salvador (FEUP/FCUP), Daniela Estaço (IST), Ethan Gouveia (FCUL), 
José Mariano (IST), Vasco Soares (IST)

Secretariat | Paulo Guerreiro & Sandra Martins

Scientific Secretariat | Diogo Capelo, José Rocha, Aditya Batra, Tomás Gaspar, Carlota Pataca

Contact |  physfront26@fisica.tecnico.ulisboa.pt

IST-PhysFront'26 Focus Topic Session

Quantum Tunneling and its Technological Applications

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping both physics and engineering, offering powerful tools to analyze complex data, model systems, and drive innovation. In Physics, it's accelerating discoveries, while in engineering, it's enhancing design, automation, and real-time decision-making. The 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics, awarded to John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton, highlighted the foundational role of machine learning in modern science. This recognition marks a turning point : machine learning is not just supporting research — it’s redefining how we explore and engineer the world.

The IST-PhysFront'25 Focus Topic session will be dedicated to projects carried out by researchers and students of the IST Department of Physics using artificial intelligence methods.

Focus Topic Keynote Speakers

Frederico Fiuza

Professor Frederico Fiuza is using artificial intelligence and interpretable machine learning tools to accelerate the development of more efficient models and numerical algorithms in Physics.

Giuseppe De Tomasi

Professor Giuseppe De Tomasi is currently employing ML–based techniques to understand and characterise quantum phases out of equilibrium and their associated entanglement properties.

Marco Piccardo

Professor Marco Piccardo is using analog neural networks encoded in optical diffractive architectures to unlock advanced forms of light manipulation, aiming to create and explore artificial photonic life.

Ruben Conceição

Professor Ruben Conceição is currently exploring the use of ML algorithms to enhance the performance of astroparticle physics experiments.

Susana Freitas

Professor Susana Freitas is using Machine Learning in the development of  Spintronic Sensors Beneath Magnetic Skins.

Vasco 
Guerra

Professor Vasco Guerra is currently working on a new method for physics-consistent ML and on neural networks for optimisation of kinetic models of reactive plasmas.

IST-PhysFront'25 Research Highlights

Research at the IST Physics Department is done in four scientific areas: Astrophysics and Gravitation, Condensed Matter and Nanotechnology, Particle Physics and Nuclear Physics, Plasmas, Laser and Nuclear Fusion, Interdisciplinary Physics. 

Research Highlight Keynote Speakers

David
Hilditch

Centro de Física Teórica de Partícul​as
(CFTP)
Andreas Trautner is exploring the quantum theoretical description of Nature and its fundamental symmetries. He aims at improving our understanding of elementary particles and their interactions including the violation of matter-antimatter symmetry observed in our Universe.

Inês 
Ochoa

Laboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas
(LIP)
Liliana Apolinário studies the strong force - the fundamental interaction that binds particles inside nuclei - by analysing high-speed jets from hadronic collisions. These jets act as messengers from the early universe, revealing how matter behaved just after the Big Bang.

Philipp 
Kemspki

Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear
(IPFN)
Marta Fajardo investigates the interaction of intense laser light with matter to understand and control extreme states of plasma. Her research combines high-power laser experiments with advanced X-ray imaging to explore conditions found in stellar interiors and fusion reactors, bridging fundamental physics with practical applications.

Richard 
Brito

Centro de Astrofísica e Gravitação
(CENTRA)
Richard Brito works in relativity and gravitation, focusing on black holes and gravitational waves. His research explores how these phenomena can test gravity in extreme regimes and shed light on potential dark matter candidates.

OUTSTANDING STUDENT TALKS

Get ready to be inspired by the remarkable research conducted by our students! Through a series of dynamic short talks in a various range of topics, you'll discover the depth, creativity, and ambition that define the scientific work happening across our Department. These presentations celebrate student-led research and aim to spark curiosity, collaboration, and new ideas among peers.

Ana Rita
Carvalho
(MEFT)

Ana Rita is exploring fast Machine-Learning algorithms for the online event analysis and real-time selection of the ATLAS detector, in preparation for the collision rates of the High-Luminosity LHC at CERN. She is particularly interested in model-agnostic methods, which could increase the sensitivity of the event selection to a broader range of potential new physics signals.

Gabriel
Almeida
(MEFT)

Gabriel’s research addresses a fundamental question in quantum physics: how do open, many-body systems reach thermal equilibrium? In particular, he investigates the rich behaviour produced by the competition between a quantum system's internal dynamics and dissipation to its surrounding environment.

Diogo
Esteves
(MEFT)

Diogo ​simulates the signal detected by a far away observer from a source of scalar radiation plunging into a rotating black hole. My goal is to understand the properties of the light ring, an important characteristic of black hole spacetimes, and use it to test General Relativity and search for new physics.

Joaquim
Pereira
(MEFT)

Joaquim's work​involves the shaping of light itself into spring-like shapes by establishing carefully designed links between the spatial and temporal properties of an ultrafast laser pulse and further enhancing this sculptability by exploring novel parameter spaces like tunable spectral phase, expanding their potential for application in fields like ultrafast spectroscopy.

João
Biu
(MEFT)

João develops novel models to study collisionless plasmas in astrophysical environments. His work combines large-scale kinetic simulations with model-discovery techniques to build tools that capture plasma dynamics in regimes where conventional methods break down.

Leonor Gonçalves
(MEFT)

Leonor is investigating how the DUNE-PRISM detector concept can help overcome a key limitation in neutrino experiments: the difficulty of separating neutrino interaction effects from the properties of the neutrino beam. Her work aims to reduce the systematic uncertainties that limit precision measurements, helping DUNE achieve its ambitious neutrino physics goals.

TIMETABLE

8h45 - 9h45 | Collect your badge at the TIC Reception
9h45 - 10h00 | ​Opening
 10h00 - 11h00 | FOCUS TOPIC SESSION
(Machine learning Applied to Physics Research at IST)
10h00 - 10h20 |  Frederico Fiúza
The AI Physicist: learning equations from data
10h20 - 10h40 |  Susana Freitas
Decoding Touch: Machine Learning and Spintronic Sensors Beneath Magnetic Skins
10h40 - 11h00 |  Giuseppe de Tomasi
When Machine Learning Meets Quantum Systems Out of Equilibrium
11h00 - 11h45 | COFFEE BREAK AND POSTER SESSION
11h45 - 12h45 | FOCUS TOPIC SESSION
(Machine learning Applied to Physics Research at IST)
11h45 - 12h05 | Vasco Guerra
Physics consistent machine learning
12h05 - 12h25 | Rúben Conceição 
The Rise of Machine Learning in Astroparticle Physics Experiments
12h25 - 12h45 |  Marco Piccardo 
Optics that learn
12h45 - 14h45 | LUNCH
14h45 - 15h00 | PRIZE ANNOUNCEMENT
15h00 - 16h20 | DF RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT SESSION 
15h00 - 15h20 | Andreas Trautner
Quantum information theory of Higgs couplings and Flavor
15h20 - 15h40 | Liliana Apolinário
Heavy-Ion collisions and the Quest for the Early Universe
15h40 - 16h00 | Marta Fajardo
When Light Becomes Stronger Than Matter
16h00 - 16h20 |  Richard Brito 
The Discovery Potential of Gravitational Waves
16h20 - 16h30 | PRIZE ANNOUNCEMENT 
16h30 - 17h15 | COFFEE BREAK AND POSTER SESSION
17h15 - 18h15 | OUTSTANDING STUDENT INVITED TALKS
17h15 - 17h30 |  Duarte Lopes
The mystery behind the most powerful accelerators in the universe
17h30 - 17h45 |  Gonçalo Martins
Supernovae, Host Galaxies, and the Hubble Tension
17h45 - 18h00 | Gonçalo Roriz 
FLASHGuard: How to Revolutionise Cancer Treatment With a Prototype
18h00 - 18h15 |  Mariana Abreu
Phase transitions in quasi-periodic systems
18h15 - 18h30 | PRIZE ANNOUNCEMENT & CLOSURE

TIMETABLE

8h30 - 9h15 | Registration
9h15 - 9h30 | Opening
09h30 - 12h30 | FOCUS TOPIC SESSION
(Machine learning Applied to Physics Research at IST)
9h30 - 9h50 | Frederico Fiúza
9h50 - 10h10 | Susana Freitas
10h10 - 10h30 | Giuseppe de Tomasi
10h30 - 11h30 | Coffee Break and Poster Session
11h30 - 11h50 | Vasco Guerra
11h50 - 12h10 | Ruben Conceição
12h10 - 12h30 | Marco Piccardo
12h30 - 14h30 | Lunch
14h30 - 15h50 | DF RESEARCH HIGHLIGHT SESSION
14h30 - 14h50 | Andreas Trautner
14h50 - 15h10 | Liliana Apolinário
15h10 - 15h30 | Marta Fajardo
15h30 - 15h50 | 
15h50 - 17h00 | Coffee Break and Poster Session
17h00 - 18h00 | OUTSTANDING STUDENT TALKS
17h00 - 17h15 | Duarte Lopes
17h15 - 17h30 | Gonçalo Roriz
17h30 - 17h45 | 
17h45 - 18h00 | 
18h00 - 18h20 | Best poster and best PIC2 video winner announcement
18h20 - 18h30 | Closure

PRIZES @ IST-PhysFront'25

During PhysFront’25, several prizes will be awarded:

Best LEFT/MEFT/PhD Posters
T​he best posters will be selected by votes from registered participants of IST-PhysFront’25. To vote, simply choose your favourite poster in the Google Form (the link is displayed at every poster stand). Each participant may submit one vote per category (LEFT / MEFT / PhD). Please use the same email address you registered with to authenticate your vote.
Poster Winners here!
  
Best PIC2 video
Winner: Bruno Semião (MEFT)








LEFT/MEFT Student Innovation Prize
Candidate Projects:

FlashGuard Project 
(Gonçalo Ribeiro, Gonçalo Roriz, Carolina Ribeiro)
Noisr (Winner)
Bernardo Grandela, Ricardo Ribeiro, João Paulo Rodrigues, Duarte Cardoso, Duarte Fernandes, Henrique Pereira, Telmo Vaz, Pedro Manuel de Figueiredo, João Pedro Barbosa
Representation of the nonlinear propagation of laser pulses through sound, using a granular synthesis technique
André Nabais
Complements of Mathematics for Physics
Gabriel Almeida, Tomás Gaspar, Filipe dos Santos
Printable Labs
Pedro Monteiro
RFID communication of triboelectric wearable sensors
Carolina Antunes

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