Miriam Seoane Santos, INESC TEC researcher and lecturer at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto (FCUP), was recognised by her contribution to the responsible development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems: she is the first Portuguese scientist to win the international ERCIM Cor Baayen Award, which rewards early-career researchers in the fields of computer science and applied mathematics – never awarded to Portugal, since its creation in 1995.
Her work focuses on studying the features and limitations of data, e.g., lack of representativeness, missing information, or intrinsic complexity, and how these factors can influence AI models. With this research, Miriam aims to foster the responsible development of AI models, making them more robust, transparent, and trustworthy (with potential applications in healthcare, justice, finance, and telecommunications).
“This award is a recognition of fundamental research and a motivation to continue promoting a fairer, more equitable, and transparent technology,” said Miriam Seoane Santos. Alongside her research, the award-winning scientist has also been involved in digital literacy and AI awareness activities, helping communities to understand, create, and use technology in a responsible and informed way, for the benefit of society. Examples include her participation in the Ciência Viva no Laboratório programme, hosted by INESC TEC, and in the recent course “IA Responsável na Prática Jurídica”, organised by the Portuguese Bar Association – also featuring Vasco Rosa Dias, INESC TEC’s Data Protection Officer.
Looking ahead, Miriam seeks the development of practical methods and tools to help scientists and companies translate ethical and regulatory principles into concrete technical guarantees. She also plans to continue her efforts to promote inclusion and diversity in technology, while raising awareness among students and industry professionals of the importance of developing technology with social and ethical responsibility.
The ERCIM Cor Baayen Award 2025 includes a monetary prize of €5K, and the award ceremony will take place during the ERCIM Fall Meeting in France, on 30 October. The Cor Baayen Early Career Researcher Award is an annual prize granted by ERCIM (European Research Consortium for Informatics and Mathematics) – a network that welcomes INESC TEC as associate member.
The award was established in 1995 to honour Cor Baayen, the first president of ERCIM. Candidates are nominated by ERCIM member institutions, and the selection criteria consider scientific quality, originality and thoroughness, impact, and international visibility.
The researcher mentioned in this news piece is associated with INESC TEC and FCUP
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