Our Team
Sergi Bermúdez I Badia
Mónica Cameirão
Mónica is an Assistant Professor and researcher at the University of Madeira (UMa) and integrated member of the NOVA Laboratory for Computer Science and Informatics (NOVA LINCS). She is the current Director of the PhD Program in Informatics Engineering of UMa. In the past she worked as research assistant at the SPECS Laboratory of the Universitat Pompeu Fabra and at the Institute of Neuroinformatics, ETH-Zürich, Switzerland; and was visiting scholar at the Quality of Life Technologies center of Carnegie Mellon University. Since Mónica arrived in Madeira in 2011, she has been co-principal investigator and co-founder of the NeuroRehabLab Research Group, an interdisciplinary research group that investigates at the intersection of technology, neuroscience and clinical practice to find novel solutions to increase the quality of life of those with special needs. Mónica has been particularly involved in the development and clinical assessment of Virtual Reality (VR) technologies for stroke rehabilitation, exploring specific brain mechanisms that relate to functional recovery to approach motor and cognitive rehabilitation by means of non-invasive and low-cost technologies. More recently, Mónica has also been involved in the development of VR solutions for supporting mental health after early pregnancy loss. Her research addresses aspects such as serious gaming and personalization of training. In 2016, Mónica has been awarded the ISVR Early Career Investigator Award, an award granted by the International Society for Virtual Rehabilitation to recognize and acknowledge outstanding contributions by early career scientists whose research relates to virtual rehabilitation. Since 2020, Mónica is a member of the Ethics Committee of UMa.
Teresa Paulino
Bachelor’s in Interactive Media Design. Master’s in Informatics Engineering, with a thesis in exergaming for the elderly. Currently, PhD candidate in Informatics Engineering in the field of Human-Computer Interaction and focusing on designing, developing, and studying an intelligent system for remote cognitive training.
Developing and studying games for health since 2014.
Linkedin: https://pt.linkedin.com/in/teresa-paulino-6bb3a874
Ana Lúcia Faria
I am a Health and Clinical Psychologist (Neuropsychology sub-specialty) by Ordem dos Psicólogos with a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Psychology from the University of Coimbra in 2020. The main outcomes of my thesis were: the development of a new cognitive rehabilitation personalization framework with objective guidelines that were used to create three innovative tools-Task Generator, Reh@Task, and Reh@City and; its clinical validation with stroke patients from Madeira Health Service. In 2015 I was awarded a doctoral scholarship from ARDITI, with host institution M-ITI/LARSyS. During my doctoral studies, I have been involved in an EU project called RehabNet(303891 FP7-PEOPLE-2011). As a post-doctoral researcher, I was in the coordination team of an interdisciplinary project called BRaNT(PTDC/CCI-COM/31046/2017), which addresses the scientific limitations of current cognitive rehabilitation practices through virtual reality games that will allow automatic personalization through Artificial Intelligence approaches. Since 2010 that I teach as invited professor in the University of Madeira.
I published, mostly as first author, 8 articles in peer-reviewed journals such as Journal of NeuroEngineering and Rehabilitation (IF:4.632), Frontiers in Psychology (IF:2.323), Journal of Medical Internet Research RAT (IF:4.945) and Virtual Reality (IF: 3.634). Currently, I am working on a systematic review about the Ecological validity of virtual reality-based technologies for the assessment and rehabilitation of ABI, together with Universitat Politècnica de València researchers. Additionally, I published 1 book chapter and 12 conference articles, some ACM and IEEE. I was awarded a Best Student Paper Commendation in 2014 and 2016 ICDVRAT and Best Student Paper in the 2018 Conference on Applied Psychology and Human Behavior. I have been an active participant, with posters and oral presentations, in relevant clinical meetings, such as the International Congress of Neuropsychological Rehabilitation in ABI (Best Communication prize), the International Neuropsychological Society Meetings, and the European Stroke Organisation Conference.
Fábio Pereira
Occupational Therapist at the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Service of SESARAM and Researcher at NeuroRehabLab – ARDITI as PhD student. He completed his basic academic training bachelor’s and Masters’s in Occupational Therapy – Specialization in Gerontology at the Escola Superior de Saúde do Instituto Politécnico do Porto. More recently, in 2017, he started his PhD in Computer Engineering in Human-Computer Interaction. His thesis is on multi-user touch surfaces for promoting social participation and self-efficacy in upper-limb stroke rehabilitation. He also dedicated much of his professional career to intervention with the pediatric population, mainly Autism Spectrum Disorders, but not exclusively.
Ciencia ID: https://www.cienciavitae.pt//pt/DA13-8E08-C979
Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Fabio-Pereira-24
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=1zccVfIAAAAJ&hl=en
Gonçalo Barradas
I completed my Psychology Program at Universidade Lusófona, Lisbon, Portugal, writing my MSc thesis at Uppsala University, Sweden, as a SOCRATES exchange student in 2006. I am a licensed psychologist since 2010, and was granted a specialist certification in Clinical and Health Psychology in 2016 by the Portuguese Psychologists Authority (Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses). My research interest has focused on studying psychological mechanisms underlying emotional reactions to music from a cross-cultural perspective. I currently started a Postdoc financed by SYLFF, working on music and emotion with Alzheimer populations.
Website: http://www.psyk.uu.se/research/research-groups/the-music-psychology-group/
Diana Mendes
I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Arts and a Master’s Degree in Interactive Media Design, and I am currently a Ph.D. candidate in Computer Engineering. In my trajectory I have worked with the power of images, the role of AI and robotics in a transhuman society, and the development of 2D experiences for mental health purposes. Currently, I am expanding my interests and skills by researching and developing immersive Virtual Reality experiences for mental health, with a particular interest in the role of features such as landscapes, virtual agents, and gaming elements in preventive tools.
Diogo Branco
Diogo Branco received his B.Sc and M.Sc degrees in Clinical and Health Psychology from Portucalence University (UPT, Portugal) in 2016 and 2018, respectively. Currently is pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Informatics Engineering with a specialization in Human-Machine Interaction (HMI) at Madeira University, Portugal. His research is focused on HMI, combining technology, neuroscience, and clinical practice to find novel solutions for motor and mental rehabilitation to increase the quality of life of those with special needs. Furthermore, at the core of his research is the development of Virtual Reality Frameworks that, combined with physiological measures (EEG, SCL, and HRV), aims to produce novel tools for researchers and clinicians.
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ur-VgPUAAAAJ&hl=en
ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Diogo-Branco
CienciaID: https://www.cienciavitae.pt//en/F41F-2FCD-B6FE
André Freitas
Finished bachelor’s degree in Informatics Engineering and started Master’s in Interactive Media and Design
Currently collaborating with CogMap
Linkedin:https://www.linkedin.com/in/andré-freitas-8804b2231/
Yasmim Moniz
Physiotherapist from the University of Mogi das Cruzes (2019) Master in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Mogi das Cruzes (2022) PhD student in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Mogi das Cruzes and participant in the mobility program (sandwich doctorate) funded by CAPES. I work with research that investigates and develops serious music-based games for motor rehabilitation and projects with the application of music-based interventions with an emphasis on the capacity for neuroplasticity. As well as development of complementary software for higher education in the health sector. Registered Games: Moniz Game and Anatomy. Currículo: http://lattes.cnpq.br/3367142607861813 Ciência Vitae: https://www. cienciavitae.pt//E617-DEDD- 14E5 Orcid: https://orcid.org/0000- 0001-6454-9500