Limelight
the limelight series
From 2019, each month BIP will start interviewing all the collaborators that were nominated for “Limelight”, thus highlighting the merit of all that are selected by the Coordination of the Centres or Service Managers for being in the “Limelight” in the previous month. Congratulations to the nominees!
speaking WITH João Pedro Aguiar (CPES)
1. How did INESC TEC came up on your career path?
It came up after I completed my Master’s Degree in 2016. At the time, pursuing the research path was a possibility that I considered for my career. My thesis supervisor, Professor Carlos Moreira, then advised me to refer to a list of open opportunities in INESC TEC's website.
I came across an opportunity to apply to a research grant for project SMARES, which by its description was what better suited my interest for the field that I wanted to work on. I applied for it and since then I am lucky to say I’m a researcher of CPES.
2. Considering your training, you always showed a tendency for the Energy field. How did that interest came up?
I belong to a generation that since a young age was educated for the theme of climate changes and for the need to promote ambitious politics in order to significantly reduce the emission of CO2.
Obviously, at the beginning I wasn't aware of the change of paradigm that has been happening on the electrical power systems, as well as of the challenges that such change has caused. However, I knew that the achievement of the goals was directly related to the exploration of new forms of electrical energy (among others, the exploration of renewable energy resources).
I think this was the click that made me want to consolidate my knowledge, initially in the renewable energy field and later in every other Energy field. Then, this “passion” has been naturally growing since my training days right up until my professional path.
3. You started working at INESC TEC in December 2016 as a researcher of the Centre for Power and Energy Systems (CPES). How has it been working there?
It has been a permanent learning and growing process at all levels. Being a researcher at CPES has allowed me to embrace projects in the most different fields of the electrical power systems, even in fields that I would initially consider them to be out of my “comfort zone”, and therefore to develop a significant number of skills.
Knowing that, due to the importance of an institution like INESC TEC, the creation of the most innovative solutions are expected from us is really challenging. And that challenge, in combination with the fact that the work that is developed here is appreciated, motivates me every day to keep doing what I’m doing.
And of course, the atmosphere within the CPES’ team. Having the freedom to work like we have as well as working with a team where the collaboration and the exchange of knowledge is promoted are definitely two crucial aspects for having great success in the results obtained.
4. What are your plans for the future?
As I mentioned before, working as a researcher has always been a plan for my career. And after I started working at INESC TEC, that desire has only been increased. For this reason, my plans for the future are to work as a researcher and to invest in my education (to start my PhD).
5. We will end this interview by asking you to comment on your nomination by the CPES Coordination:
«CPES nominates the grant holder João Pedro Aguiar for Limelight due to him standing out during the month of December 2018 by carrying out a high quality work in the closure of the SMARES project and by simultaneously contributing to the tasks of the H2020 EU- SYSFLEX project.
In the SMARES project, João showed an increasingly high maturity, representing INESC TEC, on several occasions, before the consortium and in international conferences. This project allowed the performance of tests to the provision of advanced supporting services to the operation of the power system. Being this simulation a recent breakthrough in CPES’s expertise, João showed a technical capacity to address new challenges and the ability to work as a team with several colleagues from the lab.»
The nomination for Limelight has left me quite surprised. It is extremely satisfying to work in the field that motivates me the most, in an institution that gives us all we need and to see our work being recognised in the end. I feel I’ve grown quite a lot as a professional and everything due to an outstanding team such as CPES.
Since this nomination happened mainly due to the work that was developed in the SMARES project, it is only fair for me to express my gratitude towards all the team that works at the Laboratory of Electric Vehicles for their huge help in this project’s moments of greater demand.
I must also thank Bernardo Silva for his guidance since I joined this team and for his great contribution on my professional growth.
As for me, I can only ensure the same commitment that I demonstrated up until now.
