About me

I'm currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering of Instituto Superior Técnico, and a Senior Researcher at INESC-ID, where I'm head of the Group on Artificial Intelligence for People and Society.

Contact

Instituto Superior Técnico
TagusPark, Edifício IST
Av. Prof. Dr. Aníbal Cavaco Silva
2744-016 Porto Salvo
Portugal

Phone: +351 210 407 002
Fax: +351 214 233 290

fmelo (at) inesc-id (dot) pt

Research

My main research interests are in machine learning and decision-theoretic planning, and in the exploration of models and algorithms from these fields of AI that may enable the development of intelligent autonomous agents capable of interacting with other agents (human or artificial) in complex, possibly unknown environments. My research thus lies at the intersection of different sub-fields within artificial intelligence, such as decision-theoretic planning (and its applications to human-robot interaction and collaborative multi-agent scenarios), general reinforcement learning, active learning, and interactive machine learning.

Research Interests:

• Machine learning (ML):
• Reinforcement learning
• Inverse reinforcement learning
• Active learning
• Online learning
• Robotic applications of ML
• Decision-theoretic planning (single and multiagent)

Publications

Research Projects

• RELEvaNT, FCT Project
• Trustworthy Ad Hoc Teamwork, AFOSR Project
• HOTSPOT, FCT Project

Students and post-docs

Current PhD students:

• Carla Guerra
  IST PhD in Information Systems and Computer Engineering (co-advised with Manuel Lopes)
• Miguel Faria
  IST PhD in Information Systems and Computer Engineering (co-advised with Ana Paiva)
• Miguel Vasco
  IST PhD in Information Systems and Computer Engineering (co-advised with Ana Paiva)
• Ramona Merhej
  IST PhD in Information Systems and Computer Engineering (co-advised with Francisco C. Santos)
• Silvia Tulli
  IST PhD in Information Systems and Computer Engineering (co-advised with Ana Paiva)
• João Ribeiro
  IST PhD in Information Systems and Computer Engineering (co-advised with Alberto Sardinha)
• Guilherme Varela
  IST PhD in Information Systems and Computer Engineering (co-advised with Alberto Sardinha)
• Diogo Carvalho
  IST PhD in Information Systems and Computer Engineering (co-advised with Pedro Santos)
• Pedro Pinto Santos
  IST PhD in Information Systems and Computer Engineering (co-advised with Alberto Sardinha)
• Jacopo Silvestrin
  IST PhD in Information Systems and Computer Engineering (co-advised with Manuel Lopes)
• Fábio Vital
  IST PhD in Information Systems and Computer Engineering (co-advised with Alberto Sardinha)

Current MSc students:

• Eduardo Paiva, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering (co-advised with Alberto Sardinha)
• Guilherme Jardim, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering (co-advised with Alberto Sardinha)
• Afonso Fernandes, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering (co-advised with Miguel Vasco)
• André Dias, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering (co-advised with Rui Prada)
• Gonçalo Guerra, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering (co-advised with Alberto Sardinha)

Past post-doctoral collaborators:

• Anna Finamore, 2020-2021
  (currently at Univ. Lusófona)
• Pedro Sequeira, 2014-2016
  (currently at SRI International)
• Stefan Witwicki, 2011-2013
  (currently at Nissan Research)

Past PhD students:

• Ali Kordia, CS, 2023, currently at INESC-ID
  Thesis: Motor Primitives for Interaction with Robots in Complex Manipulation Tasks

• Filipa Correia, CS, 2021, currently at LarSys
  Thesis: Group Intelligence in Social Robotics
  (co-advised with Ana Paiva)

• Rui Silva, CMU-IST dual degree, CS, 2020, currently at JP Morgan, London
  Thesis: Counterfactual MDPs: Planning Beyond Direct Control
  (co-advised with Manuela Veloso)

• Kim Baraka, CMU-IST dual degree, EE, 2020, currently at UT Austin
  Thesis: Automated Action Selection and Embodied Simulation for Socially Assistive Robots using Standardized Interactions
  (co-advised with Manuela Veloso)

• Hang Yin, IST-EPFL dual degree, CS, 2018, currently at KTH
  Thesis: Incorporating Human Expertise in Robot Motion Learning and Synthesis
  (co-advised with Ana Paiva and Aude Billard)

• Pedro Sequeira, CS, 2013, currently at SRI International
  Thesis: Socio-Emotional Reward Design for Intrinsically Motivated Learning Agents
  (co-advised with Ana Paiva)

Past MSc students:

• Sofia Carvalho, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2022 (co-advised with Ana Paiva)
• Rustam Zayanov, MSc in Data Science and Engineering, 2022 (co-advised with Manuel Lopes)
• Filipe Sousa, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2022 (co-advised with Alberto Sardinha)
• Gonçalo Querido, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2022 (co-advised with Alberto Sardinha)
• Gonçalo Barbas, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2022 (co-advised with António Reis)
• Inês Vieira, MSc in Mathematics and Applications, 2022 (co-advised with Pedro Santos)
• Bernardo Esteves, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2022
• Cassandro Martinho, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2021 (co-advised with Alberto Sardinha)
• Fábio Vital, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2021 (co-advised with Alberto Sardinha)
• Miguel Coelho, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2021 (co-advised with Alberto Sardinha)
• Pedro M. Santos, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2021 (co-advised with Alberto Sardinha)
• Pedro P. Santos, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2021 (co-advised with Alberto Sardinha)
• Ricardo Quinteiro, MSc in Mathematics and Applications, 2021 (co-advised with Pedro Santos)
• Ricardo Sequeira, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2019 (co-advised with Rui Prada)
• Renato Cardoso, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2019 (co-advised with Manuel Lopes)
• João Barbosa, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2019 (co-advised with Francisco C. Santos)
• Diogo Carvalho, MSc in Mathematics and Applications, 2019 (co-advised with Pedro Santos)
• Daniel Alves, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2019 (co-advised with António Reis)
• Miguel Vera, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2019 (co-advised with Manuel Lopes)
• Gonçalo Rodrigues, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2018 (co-advised with Alberto Sardinha)
• Henrique Carlos, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2018 (co-advised with Sofia Pinto)
• João Ribeiro, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2018 (co-advised with João Dias)
• Luís Henriques, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2018 (co-advised with Luísa Coheur)
• Ricardo Costa, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2018 (co-advised with Rui Prada)
• João Abreu, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2018 (co-advised with Manuel Lopes)
• Ana Rita Salta, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2017 (co-advised with Rui Prada)
• Daniel Brandão, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2017 (co-advised with João Dias)
• Gonçalo Castilho, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2017 (co-advised with Manuel Lopes)
• Tiago Gomes, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2017 (co-advised with Manuel Lopes)
• Tomás Alves, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2017 (co-advised with Sandra Gama)
• André Santos, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2017 (co-advised with Pedro Santos)
• Hugo Martins, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2017 (co-advised with Alberto Sardinha)
• João Cruz, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2017 (co-advised with Rui Prada)
• Miguel Faria, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2016 (co-advised with Ana Paiva)
• Rodrigo Monteiro, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2016 (co-advised with Alberto Sardinha)
• Ana Narciso, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2016 (co-advised with Alberto Sardinha)
• Beatriz Bernardo, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2016 (co-advised with Ana Paiva)
• Filipa Correia, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2015 (co-advised with Ana Paiva)
• Pedro Gusmão, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2015 (co-advised with Rui Prada)
• João Quitério, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2015 (co-advised with Rui Prada)
• Daniel Magarreiro, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2014 (co-advised with Luísa Coheur)
• Ricardo Carvalho, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2014 (coadvised with Alberto Sardinha)
• Rui Silva, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2014
• Joana Botelho, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2013 (co-advised with Ana Paiva)
• João Prioste, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2013 (co-advised with Rui Prada)
• Diogo Simões, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2012 (co-advised with Ana Paiva)
• Carlos Fraga, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2011 (co-advised with Rui Prada)
• Vivek Maganlal, MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering, 2011 (co-advised with Ana Paiva)

Teaching

Courses

• Deep Learning
  MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering (Winter 2022, Winter 2023)
• Planning, Learning and Intelligent Decision Making
  MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering (Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Spring 2022, Spring 2023)
• Reinforcement Learning
  PhD Program in Information Systems and Computer Engineering (Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021)
• Learning and Intelligent Decision Making
  MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering (Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018)
• Advanced Topics in Artificial Intelligence
  PhD Program in Information Systems and Computer Engineering (Spring 2014, Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017)
• Introduction to Programming
  MSc in Information and Enterprise Systems (Fall 2013, Fall 2014)
• Decision Support Systems
  MSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering (Fall 2011, Spring 2013)
• Foundations of Programming
  BSc in Information Systems and Computer Engineering (Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014)