EBRAINS Student Representatives elected by Student Ambassadors

We are proud to announce the election of the first two EBRAINS Student Representatives, chosen by the EBRAINS Student Ambassadors. These motivated early-career researchers will represent the student community within the EBRAINS Education Task Force, help shape educational strategies, and ensure that student perspectives remain central to the project’s development.

The EBRAINS Student Ambassadors play a key role in connecting students across the EBRAINS network. By promoting EBRAINS Education activities and supporting peer engagement, they are helping to establish a strong and collaborative student community. As part of their ongoing work—including the organisation of the upcoming EBRAINS Student Conference—they have now entrusted João Miguel Alves Ferreira and Sinovia Fotiadou with representing the EBRAINS Student Community.

We are delighted to introduce these two outstanding early-career researchers as the newly elected Student Representatives, continuing the mission of empowering and supporting students across EBRAINS.

João Miguel Alves Ferreira

João is a PhD student in Health Sciences at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Portugal. He is affiliated with the Institute of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, the Coimbra Institute for Clinical and Biomedical Research (iCBR), and the Center for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology (CIBB). His interdisciplinary research spans medicine, biomedicine, biostatistics, and psychology. His PhD project, Shedding New Light on Mental Health, focuses on operationalising biomarkers, studying well-being and social prescribing, and improving mental health outcomes and quality of life. João has also contributed significantly to EBRAINS scientific output, co-authoring several CoCreate reports and presenting at multiple EBRAINS Unconferences. He has been actively engaged with EBRAINS since early in his academic journey, and his experience and commitment to community building make him a strong voice for students.

In addition to his academic work, João has been elected Ambassador of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Coimbra for the 2024–2028 term to the NEDUC, and as a list representative for the 3rd Cycle in the university’s General Council. His combined experience in research and governance equips him well to advocate for fellow students across the EBRAINS network.

Read João's EBRAINS User Story: "EBRAINS has been essential for my scientific development"

Sinovia Fotiadou

Sinovia is a Research Associate in WP4 of the Virtual Brain Twin (VBT) project at Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany. With a background in biology and a strong passion for neurobiology and artificial intelligence, she is currently working on estimating parameter manifolds between neural networks and neural mass models through computational scaling and machine learning. Her research aims to develop HPC tools that enhance our understanding of brain activity.

As an EBRAINS Student Ambassador, Sinovia is enthusiastic about community engagement and event coordination. Her dedication also spans to creating a dynamic and inclusive space for early-career researchers. Her goal is to help foster meaningful scientific exchange and collaboration, while also strengthening the EBRAINS student network.

We warmly congratulate João and Sinovia on their new roles and look forward to the energy and perspective they will bring to the EBRAINS student community. Stay connected with us for updates on the EBRAINS Student Conference and other future student-led activities via https://www.ebrains.eu/page/education-and-training.