Prof. jorge dias

Biography

Jorge Manuel Miranda Dias is specialized in autonomous robotic systems. He holds a Doctor of Science (Habilitation/Agregação) and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Coimbra, Portugal. Currently, he serves as a Professor at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi, UAE, where he leads academic and research efforts in robotic autonomy.

With a career spanning over four decades, Jorge Dias has made groundbreaking contributions to artificial perception, computer vision, and robotic vision. Since 1984, he has been at the forefront of integrating multi-sensing and multimodal techniques into artificial perception. Notably, he played a pioneering role in the fusion of visual-inertial sensing (2006, 2007) and visual-auditory sensing (2008).

One of his most influential achievements is the development of cognitive models for robots, leveraging a Bayesian framework to enable multimodal artificial perception. His research has significantly impacted active attention (2008), navigation (2005), and multi-robot cooperation (2009). His seminal book, Probabilistic Approaches for Robotic Perception (2014), consolidates his innovative work on Bayesian techniques in computational intelligence.

Before his current role in Abu Dhabi, Jorge was a Full Professor at the University of Coimbra (UC) in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computers (DEEC) until September 2024. During his tenure, he was an active researcher at UC’s Institute of Systems and Robotics (ISR). He also played a vital role as Vice-President of Instituto Pedro Nunes (IPN) from 2008 to 2011, where he helped bridge the gap between academia and industry. Moreover, he was the founding Director of the Laboratory of Systems and Automation at IPN.

Jorge’s recent research focuses on Neuromorphic Computing for Artificial Intelligence and Artificial Perception (2023, 2024), exploring unconventional computing methods applied to robotic systems. During his career published over 390 scholarly articles in international journals, books, and conferences, marking him as an expert in robotics and artificial perception.

Throughout his career, Jorge Dias has been the Principal Investigator for numerous international projects, especially in Europe and the Middle East, advancing the field of autonomous robotic systems and artificial perception.

Jorge Dias is leading research activties in the Centre for Autonomous Robotic Systems from Khalifa University, in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Education

• Habilitation/Doctor of Science 2011 - Electrical Engineering - University of Coimbra
• PhD 1984 - Electrical Engineering - University of Coimbra

Teaching

• Algorithmic Robotics (COSC432)
• Autonomous Robotic Systems (COSC301)
• Cognitive Robotics (BMED620)
• Control of Robotic Systems (MEEN 767 )
• Image Processing and Analysis (PGEG331)
• Robotic Perception (ENGR610)

Affiliated Centers, Groups & Labs

• KU Center for Autonomous Robotic Systems
• Khalifa University