I am Hugo Pereira, a PhD Student in Computer Science at the NOVA School of Science and Technology - NOVA University Lisbon, and a member of the Computer Systems Group at the NOVA Laboratory for Computer Science and Informatics (NOVA LINCS).

My research lies at the intersection of Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Distributed Systems.
I focus on designing trusted, privacy-preserving decentralized systems and networks that defend against modern surveillance and censorship threats.
Currently, I am also a Research Fellow in the ParSec Project - “Astronomically Improving Parliamentary Cybersecurity through Collective Authorization”.

Research Interests

• Cybersecurity and Privacy
• Distributed and Decentralized Systems
• Trusted Execution Environments
• Network Security and Traffic Analysis
• Censorship Resistance and Anonymity Networks

Academic Background

🎓 PhD in Computer Science (2025-Present)
NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon
Thesis: Trusted Privacy-Preserved Decentralized Systems and Networks

🎓 MSc in Computer Science and Engineering (2022-2024)
NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon
Grade: 18/20 - A (ECTS Grading System)
Thesis: MIRACE: Multipath Integrated Routing Architecture for Censorship Evasion (Grade: 19/20)

🎓 BSc in Computer Science and Engineering (2019-2022)
NOVA School of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon
Grade: 17/20 - A (ECTS Grading System)
Final Project: Automatic Generation of Contracts for Concurrent Java Programs (Grade: 19/20)

Teaching

I am an Invited Teaching Assistant at NOVA FCT, where I teach practical classes of the BSc in Computer Science and Engineering.
My teaching responsibilities include include conducting labs for ~60 students, supporting test surveillance, evaluating projects, providing feedback, and holding weekly office hours.

Courses Taught:

• Programming Languages and Environments (2024/25)
• Introduction to Programming (2022/23 and 2025/26)

I also assisted in developing tools and lab materials for other courses, including Computer Systems and Network Security, and the Curricular Development Activity.

Research & Projects

🔒 ParSec: Astronomically Improving Parliamentary Cybersecurity through Collective Authorization

Research Fellowship (2025-Present)

• Strengthening parliamentary cybersecurity through collective authorization and trust mechanisms.
• Focused on system security, cryptography, and privacy-preserving architectures.
• Supported by: 2024.07643.IACDC, supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P. / MCTES through Portugal’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR).

👨‍🎓 Undergraduate Research Program

Undergraduate Student Researcher (2022-2022)

• Joint mentorship of Professors from NOVA University Lisbon (Portugal) and Ontario Tech University (Canada).
• First-author paper: “Automatic Generation of Contracts for Concurrent Java Programs”, presented at INForum 2022.
• Supported by: PTDC/CCI-COM/32456/2017 and LISBOA-01-0145-FEDER-032456.

Academic and Professional Programs

• Participant - ACM Europe Summer School on Distributed and Replicated Environments (DARE 2025) - Lisbon, Portugal.
• Participant - Euroscola Program - Strasbourg, France.

Industry Experience

💼 Deloitte Portugal

Summer Intern - Cyber Risk Advisory (2023-2023)

• Collaborated with Deloitte’s Cybersecurity team to enhance internal cybersecurity frameworks.
• Applied NIST and ISO/IEC 27001 standards to assess and optimize cyber maturity.
• Presented final project to Deloitte’s Cyber team with positive feedback.

U@Deloitte Champion (2023-2024)

• Represented Deloitte at NOVA University Lisbon, connecting with students and promoting Deloitte’s presence through events and initiatives.
• Gained in-depth knowledge of Deloitte’s various business areas and industries.

Certifications

Over 15 certifications from leading organizations, including:

• Fortinet - Certified Fundamentals in Cybersecurity
• Cisco Networking Academy - Introduction to Cybersecurity
• BSI - Information Security 101; NIST Cybersecurity Framework
• IBM (Coursera) - Network Security & Database Vulnerabilities
• Google (Coursera) - Foundations of Project Management
• Cybrary - Python for Cybersecurity Professionals; Network Fundamentals
• McKinsey & Company - Forward Program
• Plataforma NAU - Information Backups, Storage, and Destruction

Volunteering

I actively engage in educational outreach and community service:

• ToPAS Lx & EXPO FCT Volunteer - supporting programming competitions and outreach activities at NOVA FCT.
• Banco Alimentar Contra a Fome - helped with tasks ranging from preparing baskets of clothes to separating and organizing goods for institutions.
• Civil Protection Volunteer (CASCADE’19) - participated in European Civil Protection emergency simulations.
• Interact Club of Almada - founding member; youth-led civic initiatives in Almada.