YCN Representative - Portugal

João Miranda

YCN representative for Portugal

PhD student at the University of Aveiro, Portugal

j.miranda@ua.pt 

I am currently a PhD student at the University of Aveiro, enrolled since 2024 in the Materials Science and Engineering program, conducting my research within CICECO – Aveiro Institute of Materials. I hold an MSc degree in Materials Engineering from the University of Aveiro, which included a five-month stay at Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel, Germany, supported by the Erasmus+ programme. My MSc dissertation was awarded first place in the Master Thesis Award by the Portuguese Materials Society and second place in the Master Thesis Award by the Federation of European Materials Societies.

My scientific interests focus on exploring processing-property relations caused by alternative sintering techniques for technical ceramics, with particular emphasis on electroceramics for energy harvesting applications. I am especially fascinated by the possibility of densifying ceramics within seconds using techniques such as Flash sintering or ultrafast high-temperature sintering, and by how these approaches can dramatically transform the complex world of electrical properties in ceramic materials.

I first became involved with the YCN during the 3rd YCN Workshop, held in my hometown of Aveiro, where I was invited by the Portuguese representative at the time to join the local organizing committee. It was an inspiring experience to discover this community and to witness the dedication of the committee members and representatives in sustaining and growing the network. Since then, I have had the pleasure of reconnecting and meeting new colleagues at subsequent events, including the XIX Electroceramics Conference (Vilnius, Lithuania) and the XIX ECerS Conference (Dresden, Germany).

As a way of giving back to the YCN community, I am deeply honoured to take on the role of Portuguese representative. I look forward to contributing to the expansion of this network, promoting opportunities for young professionals across Europe, and sharing my enthusiasm for ceramic science and technology.

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