João Afonso Braun Neto

João Afonso Braun Neto is an Assistant Professor at the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança (IPB), affiliated with the School of Technology and Management (ESTiG) and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He holds a Ph.D. (2024) and dual Master's/Bachelor's degrees (2019) in related fields. His research focuses on autonomous robotics, computer vision, control theory, deep learning, and AI, with over 40 publications in indexed journals and conferences.

Affiliations and Roles:
- Investigator at Center for Research in Digitalization and Intelligent Robotics (CeDRI)
- Co-chair of European RoboCup Junior 2022
- Session chair at OL2A 2023 and ROBOT 2023 conferences
- Thesis supervisor and jury member for academic projects

Recognition:
- Best Doctoral Thesis in Robotics (2024, Portuguese Robotics Society)
- PhD with Impact Award (2023/2024)
- INPhINIT and FCT doctoral fellowships
- Media coverage in major Portuguese newspapers

Research Contributions:
- Pioneering work on mecanum-wheeled control, LiDAR-based navigation, and AI-driven localization systems
- Active in robotics competitions and educational outreach
- Collaboration with industry on precision agriculture and smart systems

Labs/Teams:
- Leading robotics workshops for secondary school teachers
- Core member of CeDRI's robotics research initiatives