Pedro Nuno Vieira Gonçalves Martins de Oliveira was my student in the degree in Political Science and International Relations (pre-Bologna regime). More recently, I had the satisfaction of being the scientific supervisor of his Master's thesis in Political Science, in the specialization area in “Public Policies”.

In both study cycles, carried out at FCSH-UNL, Pedro Oliveira distinguished himself as a brilliant student, obtaining high marks that rewarded the excellence of his academic performance. Personally, I had the opportunity to appreciate his intelligence and his capacity for critical reflection, as well as his rigor and seriousness at work. I must also emphasize his extraordinary example of commitment and perseverance at work, despite the mobility restrictions and functional limitations to which he is subject due to physical disability.

Pedro Oliveira combines solid scientific knowledge and sources with the qualities of intelligence, curiosity, autonomy, and generosity. 

The contact with Dr. Pedro Nuno de Oliveira was initially established through the Curricular Unit of Social Integration and Rehabilitation, of the degree in Psychomotor Rehabilitation, as guest speaker for the presentation and discussion of the theme associated with Equal Opportunities and Inclusion of People with Disabilities, and in particular on the Independent Living Movement.

During this formal contact, renewed annually during the years in which I taught the aforementioned curricular unit, as well as other more or less formal contact opportunities, it was possible to verify that Dr. Pedro Nuno de Oliveira presents a set of characteristics that determine success in the academic world and, in particular, in the field of research, namely observation and analysis, concentration and organization skills, critical, curious and creative spirit, taste for scientific challenges, self-efficacy and perseverance, and capacity to deliver to work . In addition to these attributes, Dr. Pedro Nuno de Oliveira also reveals himself to have a set of very important interpersonal skills, namely, communication skills, assertiveness, decision making and problem solving.

I've been, since 2000 to May 2003, President of the Board of Directors of INETI, Instituto Nacional de Engenharia e Tecnologia Industrial, Portugal, member of the Board of Directors of EARTO (EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION OF THE RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY ORGANIZATIONS), and member of EURAB (EUROPEAN RESEARCH ADVISORY BOARD, advising EU RTD policy).

During that period I had the opportunity to work with Pedro Oliveira, as member of the INETI’ staff. During our cooperation, Pedro gave me support on several contributions, both related with EURAB and EARTO activities and tentative institutional reforms there going, showing competence, great motivation and proactive attitude.

Mr. Pedro Nuno de Oliveira is a bright and eclectic individual, always searching for new challenges and deeply committed in development of his skills/competences. I have the pleasure to meet him ca. ten years ago, when I worked at INETI (National Institute of Engineering, Technology and Innovation) as Vice-President of the Administration Board (May 2003 — April 20O4). During this time window, Mr. Pedro Nuno de Oliveira assisted me in various issues, some of them quite delicate and related to the general reorganization of the Institute. Despite of the nature of the task, its exigency or intrinsic complexity, he always showed high levels of autonomy and creativity and exceptional work capacity, besides an excellent interpersonal relationship and teamwork involvement. Often, he demonstrated to have strong technical focus and drive; capacity of working independently in cross-disciplinary teams; genuine motivation and enthusiasm to deal with new challenges; willingness to learn, listen and ask questions; excellent communication skills, both orally and in writing; disposition and aptitude to adapt to different environments.