About
Academic Background
I hold a degree in Computer Engineering from the Universidade de Pernambuco (UPE, 2003–2008) and a Master’s degree in Teleinformatics Engineering from the Universidade Federal do Ceará (UFC, 2011–2014), in the concentration area of Signals and Systems, followed by a postgraduate specialization in Information Systems Development and Management (Faculdade JK, 2014–2015). My master’s thesis, advised by Prof. Dr. Guilherme de Alencar Barreto, developed prototype-based pattern classifiers optimized with differential evolution — an early exposure to computational intelligence, pattern recognition, and optimization that continues to inform how I approach quantitative problems, and that later led to a peer-reviewed conference paper. The full thesis and paper, with links, are listed on the Publications page.
Professional Trajectory
My professional path has been in information systems and data-intensive work in the Brazilian public sector for close to two decades, across roles at Policentro/Ecil, DATAPREV, the Ministry of Planning, and the Advocacia-Geral da União (AGU) — including experience with systems development, databases, data engineering and integration (ETL), business intelligence, workflow orchestration, and data mining. At the Ministry of Planning, I was part of the team behind the Brazilian Public Software program (Software Público Brasileiro), where I served as technical lead for an update of the program’s Manual do Ofertante (Vendor’s Manual) — see Projects. Since 2024, I have worked at the Institute for Applied Economic Research (Ipea), in the Coordenação de Sistemas de Informação (COSIS), within its data science and information technology area [TO BE VERIFIED: exact English title of my position; see the CV page].
This experience is not the center of this website, but it is the foundation for the research direction described below: years spent turning institutional and public-sector problems into data and computational problems gave me both a strong computational base and direct, practical familiarity with the kind of systems and data that public-policy research draws on.
Research Transition
Over the past several years, my interests have shifted from applied computational intelligence and public-sector data systems toward complex systems, network science, and agent-based modeling, with a growing focus on their application to computational economics and public policy. Concretely, this has included joining LASPP, a research group at Ipea working on complex systems and their applications, completing a graduate course in complex systems at the University of São Paulo (USP) in 2025, and currently taking a course in agent-based economic models there as a special student. More detail on this trajectory and the questions motivating it is on the Research page.
Current Interests
My current interests are described in more detail on the Research page: complex systems and network science, agent-based modeling, computational economics, and computational approaches to public policy.
This website does not currently represent an active PhD application announcement — this line will be updated if and when that changes.
Beyond Research
Outside of research, I spend time with family, enjoy sports, reading, and following developments in science more broadly, and like getting outdoors when I can.
Contact
The best way to reach me is by email: [email protected], or via LinkedIn.
Interim address, pending a permanent one once luizsoares.org is active.