INESC TEC researcher joins board of international graph database organisation

Nuno Faria, a researcher at INESC TEC, has joined the board of the Graph Data Council (GDC), a leading international non-profit organisation in the field of graph databases. Faria, who is also a guest lecturer at the School of Engineering of the University of Minho, is the only Portuguese member on the GDC board, which includes representatives from companies such as Microsoft, Oracle, and AWS. 

Nuno Faria will take on roles related to research and development in graph database data processing, alongside organisational and administrative responsibilities, as well as coordinating workshops. In addition, he aims to contribute to the development of resources that improve the performance of graph-based data processing systems. 

For INESC TEC, this nomination could open new opportunities for international collaboration and strengthen participation in conferences focused on data management. 

“This connection with the GDC may also facilitate involvement in future projects and bring the institution closer to one of the most influential international networks in graph data technologies,” said Nuno Faria. 

The researcher perceives this recognition as “a great opportunity to interact with other professionals in the database industry” while “developing new skills, both in graph databases and in organisational administration.” 

The invitation to join the board was extended by Gabor Szarnyas, GDC board member and Head of Developer Relations at DuckDB Labs, with whom Nuno Faria first connected in 2023 during a conference in this field. 

Formerly known as the Linked Data Benchmark Council, the Graph Data Council brings together companies and institutions from around the world, including AWS, Microsoft, Oracle, and Alibaba Cloud. The organisation also has a strong scientific and technical presence, with benchmarks and research presented at leading forums such as VLDB and SIGMOD – international conferences in which INESC TEC has participated in recent years.