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Research | Research Areas

A short description of the concentration and research areas active in PPGC is presented below. This should offer the candidates an overview upon the research structure within the program. The names of the researchers in each of the areas are also presented.

  • Computer Systems Architecture and Design

This area investigates hardware/software architectures dedicated to applications such as signal processing, video/audio processing and similar systems. These are complex systems for which the alternative hardware architectures are studied and developed, either with microprocessors or application-specific hardware or a combination of both. Application of programmable logic, memory hierarchies, networks-on-chip or custom chip interconnections are a few aspects of the computer systems modeled, developed and integrated by specific design methods studied in this area. The group also focus on tools, languages and methods that are applicable to such architectures: description languages, partitioning and co-design, simulation, verification and synthesis at several levels of abstraction. Designs of industrial interest arise when these optimized blocks are instantiated on a single component, such as a System-on-Chip (SoC), in particular for applications that merge complex hardware/software objects.

Advisors: Altamiro Amadeu Susin, Ricardo Augusto da Luz Reis, Sergio Bampi

  • Microelectronics

This area investigates integrated circuits and systems design, improving and optimizing the design flow steps. It includes the research of new methods, models and algorithms related to each procedure, as well as the development of computer-aided design (CAD) tools, environments and frameworks. Logical synthesis, physical construction and test of integrated circuits are studied. The challenges present in advanced microelectronics fabrication processes and nanotechnologies are targeted in terms of semiconductor devices modeling and physical layout techniques.

Advisors: Altamiro Amadeu Susin, André I. Reis, Érika Cota, Fernanda Gusmão de Lima Kastensmidt, Renato P. Ribas, Ricardo Augusto da Luz Reis, Sergio Bampi. Other researchers: Marcelo Johann.

  • Embedded Systems

This area focuses on the high-level design of software and hardware for embedded systems. This includes high-level system specification and modeling, the generation of embedded software (application software, middleware, RTOS), and the definition of the system architecture, up to the point where traditional compilation and synthesis techniques may produce the final hardware and software. The group investigates the specification, validation, verification, design, and test of embedded systems, with a strong integration between the design of hardware and software, so as to find the solution that best meets design requirements and constraints, for instance related to performance, size, cost, energy and power consumption, reliability, and real-time aspects. The application of formal design and verification methods and of reconfigurable architectures are also of great interest. Various domains where embedded and real-time systems are applied are considered, such as consumer electronics, automation, telecommunications, and sensor networks.

Advisors: Antônio Carlos Beck Filho, Carlos Eduardo Pereira, Edison Pignaton de Freitas, Érika Cota, Flávio Rech Wagner, Gabriel Luca Nazar, Luigi Carro and Luís da Cunha Lamb. Other researchers: João Cesar Netto

  • Test and Reliability of HW/SW Integrated Systems

We work in several aspects of the on-line and off-line testing, design-for-test, and reliability of integrated systems and complex circuits. Target applications include digital and analog circuits, programmable devices (FPGAs and FPAAs), core-based system-on-chip devices (SoCs), on-chip networks (NoCs), and embedded systems. Current topics of interest include: design for test of hardware and software; software-based self-testing; embedded software testing; FPGA on-line testing and fault-tolerance; FPAA testing and fault-tolerance; testing of embedded processors; testing planning for complex systems (test generation, scheduling, etc); NoC testing and fault-tolerance; NoC-based and SoC testing.

Advisors: Érika Cota, Fernanda Gusmão de Lima Kastensmidt and Paolo Rech

  • Theoretical Computer Science

This area investigates the mathematical foundations of computing, algorithms, computational complexity, combinatorial optimization, statistical and analytical models, logic in computer science, evolutionary game theory, and computational models of complex networks. We also perform basic research on the applications of formal specification and verification in the design and analysis of computing systems. Other research lines include biologically and physically inspired modeling, theoretical foundations of neural and cognitive computation, and computational biology.

Advisors: Álvaro Freitas Moreira, Leila Ribeiro, Luciana Salete Buriol, Luís da Cunha Lamb, Márcio Dorn, Marcus Ritt, Mariana Luderitz Kolberg, André Grahl Pereira.

  • Artificial Intelligence

In this research area are developed projects involving themes both in Symbolic Artificial Intelligence and Computational Intelligence. The main areas of expertise in this research area are: foundations of artificial intelligence, natural language processing, multi-agent systems, robotics, intelligent tutoring systems, knowledge discovery in databases, neural networks, evolutionary algorithms, machine learning, knowledge engineering, heuristic search and classical planning.

Advisors: Aline Villavicencio, Ana Lúcia Cetertich Bazzan, Cláudio Fernando Resin Geyer, Dante Augusto Couto Barone, Edson Prestes, Ingrid Oliveira de Nunes, Luís da Cunha Lamb, Mara Abel, Márcio Dorn, Mariana Luderitz Kolberg, Paulo Martins Engel, Rosa Maria Vicari, André Grahl Pereira.

  • Computer Graphics, Image Processing and Interaction

Projects in Graphics include modeling and visualization of complex objects, modeling and rendering, computer animation, scientific visualization and information visualization, digital games techniques, GPU algorithms, spatial data structures and geometric algorithms. Image processing and computer vision research is focused on techniques to analyze and improve images from different sources for several applications. It also focuses on object modeling and recognition in real scenarios, being applied to a number of real-world problems such as face and behavior recognition, image recovery by content, 3D photography, image metrology, etc. In Virtual Reality, every aspect of the development and analysis of interaction techniques in immersive environments are covered, including the creation of these environments and the virtual characters inhabiting them. The research in human-computer interaction deals with conceptual, methodological and technological aspects of the interaction. In particular, it focuses on fundamental issues as interaction modeling and development of model-oriented interfaces, interface customization, adaptive interfaces, usability and accessibility evaluation, development of interaction techniques in the context of graphics and VR applications, cooperative work and information visualization. This area also deals with theintegration of HCI with other areas (software engineering, musical computation, web engineering, etc.).

Advisors: Anderson Maciel, Carla Maria Dal Sasso Freitas, Claudio Jung, Edson Prestes, Jacob Scharcanski, João Luiz Dihl Comba, Lucas Schnorr, Luciana Porcher Nedel, Manuel Menezes de Oliveira Neto, Marcelo Soares Pimenta and Marcelo Walter.

  • Parallel and Distributed Processing

Works in the analysis and design of logic and functional structure of digital computers as well as their implementation in terms of data flow and control. The research area emphasizes projects in the areas of parallel processing, pipeline and matrix architectures, multiprocessor and distributed architectures, architectures for artificial intelligence, modeling and performance evaluation.

Advisors: Cláudio Fernando Resin Geyer, Lucas Schnorr e Philippe Olivier Alexandre Navaux. Other researches:  Alexandre Carissimi

  • Computer Networks

Within this area, we investigate problems ranging from data communication engineering (wireless and optical networks, for example) to network/system management and security. The main topics being currently addressed by our group are: quality of service (WiMAX and MetroEthernet), advanced network applications (Voice over IP and P2P streaming), performance evaluation of network applications, network, service, and application management (Future Internet, virtualization, and P2P), Information Technology (IT) management, and security (P2P, mobile computing, etc.).

Advisors: Alberto Egon Schaeffer Filho, Edison Pignaton de Freitas, Marinho Pilla Barcellos, Juergen Rochol, Lisandro Zambenedetti Granville, and Luciano Paschoal Gaspary Other researchers:  João Cesar Netto

  • Software Engineering

Teaching and research in this area are concerned mainly with processes and methodologies for software development in particular: Agile methods and integration with traditional approaches (UP, etc.), aspects-oriented development, web engineering, development of object-oriented software, including refactoring, patterns and frameworks, software engineering for multi-agent systems and autonomous systems, formal methods in software development, and process-centric environments software.

Advisors: Álvaro Freitas Moreira, Daltro José Nunes, Ingrid Oliveira de Nunes, Karin Becker, Leila Ribeiro, Lucinéia Heloisa Thom, Luís da Cunha Lamb and Marcelo Soares Pimenta.

  • Conceptual Modeling and Databases

The research developed in this area focuses on various topics including Conceptual Modeling, Databases, Information Retrieval, Text Mining, Web Mining, Knowledge Discovery and Recommender Systems.
Conceptual Modelling involves information integration, schema and data matching, temporal evolution, ontologies, and adaptability of web systems.
In Information Retrieval and Text Mining, research involves methods for searching, organizing and accessing textual information – including multilingual information retrieval, plagiarism detection, author profiling.
In Knowledge Discovery, Data Mining and Recommender Systems, our focus in the process of knowledge discovery, supporting its different stages, and applications. The main applications are the recommender systems (recommending documents, pages, products) according to the user’s interest, and knowledge discovery in Web data, including social networks.
We also have ongoing projects on Sentiment Analysis and Opinion Mining in which we focus on detecting polarity, emotions and multilingual aspects.

Advisors:  Karin Becker, Leandro Krug Wives, José Palazzo Moreira de Oliveira,  Renata Galante, Viviane Moreira

Other researchers:  José Valdeni de Lima