Presently: President of the Knowledge Society Agency (UMIC), Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education; Full Professor of Mathematics at Instituto Superior Técnico (IST), Universidade Técnica de Lisboa (UTL), since 1993; Vice-Chair of the OECD Committee for Information, Computer and Communications Policy; Member of the CSTD – Commission on Science and Technology for Development and Head of Delegation at the IGF – Internet Governance Forum of the United Nations; Portuguese delegate to the Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC) of ICANN– Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers; Member of the National ICT Research Directors Forum, of the Future Internet Forum, of the i2010 High Level Group, of the HLIG – High Level Group on Internet Governance, of the CREST – Scientific and Technical Research Committee at Directors-General level; of the European Ambient Assisted Living Association (AAL) General Assembly, of the Council of the European Grid Initiative (EGI) of the European Union; President of the Council of the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory jointly created by Portugal and Spain, and of its Installation Commission General Assembly; Member of the Governing Boards of the MIT – Portugal, Carnegie Mellon – Portugal, University of Texas Austin – Portugal, Harvard Medical School – Portugal and Fraunhofer – Portugal Programs; Member of the Luso-American Foundation for Development Consultative Council since 1997.
Formerly: President of the Science and Technology Foundation (FCT) (the Portuguese research council and research funding organization) (1997-2002); Member of the Internet Governance Forum Advisory Group by invitation of the United Nations Secretary-General (Set-Dec 2007); Member of the European Science Foundation Governing Council (2000-2002); Member of the OECD Science and Technology Policy Committee and the OECD Global Science Forum (1998-2002); Deputy Director and founder of the Systems and Robotics Institute (1992-1997).
Other institutions where he worked: IST (1972-97, 2002-05); FCT (1997-2002); Institute for Mathematics and Its Applications, University of Minnesota, USA (1982-83, 1985); Division of Applied Mathematics, Brown University, USA (1978-83); Centro de Biologia do Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência (1972-78).
University degrees: PhD (1982) and a MSc (1980) in Applied Mathematics by Brown University, USA. Electrical Engineer – Telecommunications and Electronics (1975) by IST.