Joana Brito

I am a PhD student in Computer Science at Instituto Superior Técnico, Universidade de Lisboa (Lisbon, Portugal), co-advised by Professor Joana Campos and Dr. Filipa Correia. I am a researcher at GAIPS lab in INESC-ID, where I also contribute to scientific outreach by handling the social media communication of the lab. I hold an MSc in Biomedical Engineering from TU Wien (Austria) and a BSc in Biomedical Engineering from IST (Lisbon), and I currently teach undergraduate courses in Computer Science.

My research brings together human–robot interaction and assistive technologies. I design intelligent systems, from social robot interactions to serious games, that support people with cognitive impairments. I am particularly drawn to executive functions like sustained attention, working memory, and cognitive flexibility, and to how technology can help develop and strengthen them. The EMPOWER EU project gave me the chance to dig into this in depth. The main goal of my research is moving beyond deficit-focused approaches and building assistive technology that improves people’s sense of autonomy.