Hello there Ricardo Santos!

Welcome to Karlstad University! What and where have you studied before you began your employment here in January?
Hej hej! Before coming to Karlstad I was doing my master's in Computer Science. I was studying in the University of Coimbra, in Portugal, though I also completed a part of it abroad in the University of Oklahoma (USA), and last year I did one semester of my thesis work here in Karlstad.

How do you like your new hometown?
It takes some time to get used to the cold again, but besides that, it feels good to be back here (I missed the fikas). It is also good to see familiar faces in the university again, but also new ones.

Why did you choose to apply to a position as a PhD student within Computer Science at Karlstad University?
My decision to want to come back to Karlstad was mostly biased by my previous experience here in Sweden. I was motivated by the excellence of the university and respective staff in my field of studies, by the good conditions/benefits that are provided to their workers and by the good working environment that made me feel comfortable while I was here. Also, while I was doing full-time research, I understood that it is the kind of thing I want to do in the future, which motivated me to continue studying and pursue a PhD degree.

What is your research focused?
Currently I'm involved in two research projects. One is focused in the deployment and optimization of the usage of 5G networks using millimeter wave frequencies (SOCRA), and the other aims to design an adaptive solution for the network transport layer (NEAT). In both projects I will work with Software-Defined Networks, as I am already familiar with the topic, based in my previous research work.

What is your goal with your research?
The main goal of my research is to make future networks more configurable and flexible. This will be achieved primarily with Software-Defined Networks and with the usage of more information from the applications and wired/wireless links, in comparison with current standardized approaches. With this approach it will be possible to provide the mechanisms to have improved reactions to changes in the involved network environments and to make better decisions in the data plane, contributing to enhancements in the established connections.