Rafael Cardoso

Rafael Cardoso is a Lecturer in the Department of Computing Science at the University of Aberdeen, where he has been a faculty member since January 2022. He is affiliated with the Agents at Aberdeen (A³) research group and holds honorary senior research associate positions at the University of Liverpool and the University of Manchester. He is also part of the Autonomy and Verification Network.

• University: University of Aberdeen
• School: School of Natural and Computing Sciences
• Department: Department of Computing Science
• Role: Lecturer
• Additional Affiliations: Honorary Senior Research Associate (University of Liverpool, University of Manchester)

Education:

• Bachelor of Computer Science, Universidade Franciscana (2012)
• Master of Computer Science, PUCRS (2014)
• PhD in Computer Science, PUCRS (2018)

Rafael Cardoso's research lies at the intersection of multi-agent systems, formal verification, and autonomous systems. His work explores how intelligent agents can plan, coordinate, and adapt in complex environments—particularly in robotics and self-driving vehicles. He investigates hybrid AI approaches that combine symbolic reasoning with machine learning, and develops formal methods to ensure correctness and safety in agent behavior. His research includes runtime verification, ethical governance in agents, and integration of automated planning with BDI architectures. He is particularly interested in decentralised planning, goal allocation, and coordination mechanisms in multi-agent platforms.

His recent publications span topics such as runtime verification frameworks (e.g., RVPLAN), safety enforcement in BDI agents, ethical governors, and hybrid AI for autonomous vehicles. The articles reflect a strong trend toward ensuring reliability, resilience, and verifiability in autonomous systems, with applications in industrial robotics, space systems, and intelligent transportation. Much of his work is grounded in practical implementations and competitions like the Multi-Agent Programming Contest.

Scientific Awards and Recognitions:

• 1st place, Multi-Agent Programming Contest (2016)
• 4th place, Multi-Agent Programming Contest (2017)
• 2nd place, Multi-Agent Programming Contest (2018)
• 1st place, Multi-Agent Programming Contest (2019)
• 2nd place, Multi-Agent Programming Contest (2020/2021)

Rafael Cardoso actively contributes to the academic community through service on program committees for major conferences such as AAAI, IJCAI, AAMAS, and ECAI. He has advised and contributed to numerous collaborative research projects, particularly in the areas of verification for space robotics and resilient multi-agent systems. He has led initiatives such as the Workshop on Agents and Robots for Reliable Engineered Autonomy (AREA) and has co-edited proceedings and special issues on autonomy and verification. He is involved in outreach and employability programs at the University of Aberdeen and serves as Director of Undergraduate Pathways in Computing Science.

Labs and Research Groups:

He is a core member of the Agents at Aberdeen (A³) research group, which focuses on agent-based systems, formal verification, and autonomous robotics. This group is part of the broader Autonomy and Verification Network, fostering interdisciplinary collaboration in trustworthy autonomous systems.