Tiago Filipe da Ponte Silva

Tiago Filipe da Ponte Silva is an Invited Assistant Professor at the Physics Department of Instituto Superior Técnico (University of Lisbon) in the Scientific Area of Plasma Physics, Lasers and Nuclear Fusion. He is also a Researcher at the Institute of Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion (IPFN) in the N-PRiME group. His research focuses on plasma applications for CO2 conversion and in-situ resource utilization on Mars, with recent work funded by a Fulbright Grant for research at MIT on plasma technology for CO2 conversion in the Martian environment.

Dr. Silva received his MSc in Physics Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico (University of Lisbon) in 2011 and his PhD in Plasma Physics from the University of Mons, Belgium in 2015. His educational background includes specialized training at the International Low Temperature Plasma School at Ruhr-Universität Bochum.

His research interests span plasma physics, CO2 conversion technologies, non-thermal plasmas, vibrational kinetics, and plasma applications for space exploration. His work combines experimental diagnostics with advanced modeling to understand fundamental plasma processes and develop practical applications for environmental and space technologies. Recent publications focus on CO2 conversion mechanisms, vibrational energy transfer, plasma-catalysis interactions, and Mars oxygen production systems.

Dr. Silva has secured significant research funding including multiple projects under the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT), such as CLIMATIC, CREATOR, and ROADMARS. His research has been cited over 1,750 times with an h-index of 22 according to Google Scholar (February 2025).

• 2023: Co-author in best poster award at ICPIG 2023
• 2022: Fulbright Grant for PhD Faculty and Researchers at MIT
• 2022: Co-author in best poster award at RIVA 2022
• 2020: Junior Researcher position - Individual call to Scientific Employment Stimulus (CEEC)
• 2020: IOP trusted reviewer
• 2014: Student award at the 61st AVS International Symposium & Exhibition

Dr. Silva has supervised 15 BSc/MSc and 4 PhD students at Instituto Superior Técnico. His research group, part of the N-PRiME team at IPFN, focuses on modeling and experimental studies of plasma processes for CO2 conversion and other environmental applications. The group collaborates with international institutions including MIT, European Space Agency, and various European research centers on projects related to plasma technology for sustainable development and space exploration.