Francisco Pinheiro is a researcher and embedded systems developer completing a Master’s in Engineering Physics at the University of Minho, specializing in Information Physics. He has hands-on experience in real-time sensing, low-power wireless communication, microcontroller programming and signal processing.
His Master's dissertation focuses on materials modelling, using AI to optimize pseudopotentials used in quantum simulations. At the same time, he performs experimental work on semiconductor characterization and thin film deposition, exploring oxide-based materials for next-generation optoelectronic devices. Earlier, he completed an industrial internship at Synopsys through the Microelectronics Academy, where he gained experience with professional microelectronic design tools and workflows.