Get to know... Raul Morais

Raul Morais dos Santos is a Full Professor at the School of Science and Technology of the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD), where he has dedicated his career to the intersection between Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and Digital Agriculture. With a Bachelor's, Master's, Doctorate and Aggregation in this area, he has almost three decades of teaching and research experience and is recognised for his pedagogical excellence and enthusiasm in imparting knowledge in the more than 40 different courses he has taught. He is currently the Director of the TECHAGRO - Emerging Technologies Applied to Agroforestry Systems (UTAD) Doctorate Course.

In the scientific field, Raul Morais is a researcher at CITAB, where he coordinates the thematic line ‘Technology & Innovation in Agri-food and Forestry Chains for a More Competitive Bioeconomy’. His work focuses on the development of electronic devices for collecting sensor data, with a special emphasis on precision viticulture. These systems feed digital decision support platforms, enabling more sustainable and intelligent agricultural management.

He is the creator of the mySense platform, an IoT infrastructure that collects and integrates data from thousands of sensors in the field, providing agricultural warning services against pests and diseases and supporting decision-making based on real data, AI-trained models and forecasts. mySense has become a benchmark tool for the cross-border agricultural community, aggregating and merging data from multiple sources and institutions to enrich the information available and enable more informed and predictive decisions at local and regional level.

With over 130 indexed publications, an h-index of 29, several technology patents and 10 innovation awards, Raul Morais also has a strong international presence, notably as guest editor and former member of the editorial committee of the journal Computers and Electronics in Agriculture (Elsevier).

In addition to participating in several European projects, he currently coordinates the PRR's Vine&Wine PT Mobilising Agenda (€7.8 million) at UTAD, consolidating his role as a leader in the digital transition of the agri-food sector, where engineering and technology are at the service of smarter, more sustainable and competitive agriculture.