In 2025, the Carnegie Mellon Portugal Program achieved a significant milestone: 100 Dual Ph.D. alumni.

Launched in 2007, the Dual Degree Ph.D. Programs are one of the program’s flagship initiatives, and over the years, CMU Portugal alumni continue to leave their mark and drive impact across academia, industry, and society worldwide.

On December 3rd, the CMU Portugal Program hosted its annual student gathering in both Lisbon and Pittsburgh. The event brought together Affiliated and Dual Degree Ph.D. students, and Visiting Faculty & Researchers and Visiting Students, for training sessions, followed by a networking lunch. 

The CMU Portugal’s Affiliated Ph.D. program's initiative has selected 12 new students for its fifth edition. With scholarships funded by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), students will be fully hosted by Portuguese universities and have the opportunity to spend up to one year researching at Carnegie Mellon.

The leadership of CMU Portugal's IV phase (2025-2030) will be secured through the current national co-directors Inês Lynce (Técnico, INESC ID) and João Magalhães (NOVA FCT). 

FCT confirmed the appointment of the national co-directors for the three U.S.-Portugal international partnerships - CMU Portugal, MIT Portugal, and UT Austin Portugal - who will work alongside their counterpart Directors at the respective U.S. institutions through 2030.

CMU Portugal and PLANAPP (the Centre for Planning and Evaluation of Public Policies) held a joint meeting in November, bringing together experts from Portuguese institutions, PLANAPP representatives, and Carnegie Mellon University faculty members, to discuss shared interests in AI, energy systems, critical technologies, space technologies, and science-based policymaking.

Ramayya Krishnan, William W. and Ruth F. Cooper Professor of Management Science and Information Systems, and Dean Emeritus of Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College, was in Lisbon, supported by CMU Portugal, to participate in the Responsible AI Forum 2025, organized by the Center for Responsible AI, joining the debate on the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the workplace, the evolution of organizational models,  and the transformation of professional skills.

Michael J. Tarr, faculty at Carnegie Mellon's Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences and at the Neuroscience Institute, gave a seminar at INESC ID gathering faculty and researchers interested in neuroscience, cognitive sciences, and artificial intelligence.

Nikolas Martelaro, Assistant Professor at Carnegie Mellon’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute, conducted a visiting research period in Portugal, with the support of CMU Portugal, spending six weeks at the Interactive Technologies Institute.

Carla Costa was among the very first CMU Portugal Dual Degree Ph.D. candidates, enrolling in the program’s inaugural edition in 2007, earning a dual degree in Technological Change and Entrepreneurship. After 12 years abroad, she returned to Portugal to begin a new chapter as an Assistant Professor at her alma mater, Técnico.