​​«The Fulbright scholarship with FCT support gave me the opportunity to do part of my PhD research (Computer Science) in the University of Massachusetts Boston, under the supervision of Professor Tiago Cogumbreiro.

​​Often, doing a PhD is a arduous and lonely task, where you are required to read and write papers, and to do research on your own. Sometimes, this can be frustrating because results take time and patience and you don’t know if you are in the right track. Going abroad can help you alleviate this feeling. Breaking your routine, meeting many other students (some of them in similar situations), discover new places, and listen to other professors can give you a much broader picture of what exactly a PhD is and what is your role in Academia. 

​​When meeting people from all over the world, you may get surprised with so many common beliefs, cultures and opinions even from distant countries like Russia, Colombia, New Zealand, or Afghanistan. At the same time, differences will reveal as culture richnesses that you will want to discover and learn more about. I invite you to read my experience in the enrichment seminar in Nashville as proof of this sense of belonging to a big family, in contrast with being from a specific country with no connection to other cultures at all.

​​Boston is a vivid city, with dozens of Universities, giving you the perfect chance to meet students from so many research fields. It is safe, friendly, full of history, and relatively close to other big cities, like New York. You can travel North and visit Maine, taste a delicious lobster, or even go to Canada and see the Niagara falls. During the winter you can learn how to extract and taste maple syrup in Providence, Rhode Island, and during the summer, take some days to visit Cape Cod with excellent beaches (but watch out for the sharks!).

​​As a final remark, I would like to note that, once Fulbrighter, Fulbrighter forever and this is very important. It is an open door and fast access to any place in the world you might live or work in the future. Wherever you will be, there will be most likely a Fulbright friend around!

​​I couldn’t be more thankful to Fulbright for giving me this unique opportunity. »

​​Carlos Mão de Ferro is a PhD candidate in Computer Science, University of Lisbon, Portugal. His research focuses on new programming languages techniques that deliver a safe and resource-aware programming of embedded devices, thus promoting a reliable and sustainable Internet of Things (IoT) environment. In general, Carlos is curious about Science and driven by the desire to understand how things work and how discoveries and inventions come to see the light of day. He enjoys reading topics about Physics, Astronomy and Biology. He is also passionate about music, having learned to play the flute and the piano as a child.