April 13, 2024 @ Porto Business School
A one-day, free, in-person event full of learning and professional networking designed for women in technology. Access talks, workshops, career opportunities and networking to boost your career and drive change in the sector.
WHY ATTEND
We have a full in-person day of talks, workshops, career opportunities and networking awaiting you. Meet like-minded tech professionals and unlock your full potential.
Geek Girls Conference will celebrate Girls in ICT Day and Geek Girls Portugal 14th anniversary. But most importantly?
We want to celebrate women working in technology. Join us and let us celebrate together
We are looking for passionate speakers in tech who want to share their expertise with our audience and empower women to succeed in their technology careers.
Our conference is open to all kinds of talks and workshops from the world of IT. We are seeking volunteers who are eager to deliver in-person talks and workshops focused on real-world trends and practical insights into technology, career development, diversity, and inclusion in the field.
The call for talks and workshops is now closed!
At our conference you’ll learn something new, sharpen your skills, share your stories and grow your network of trailblazing women in the industry.
We are on a journey to close the gender gap and empower women’s careers in technology. And we need you here!
Listen to passionate speakers eager to update you on industry and career trends in tech.
1Choose what you want to learn about in our workshops and deep-dive into topics that matter to you.
2Grab the opportunity to connect with companies committed to driving change in technology, share your CV, and make valuable connections.
3With a multitude of networking opportunities, you will also have the chance to establish mentorship relationships.
4Engage in conversations and share ideas with like-minded women driving change, pioneering new ideas, and thriving in the tech industry.
5There’s a place for everyone at Geek Girls Portugal. Share your stories and form valuable connections.
6Choose what you want to learn about in our workshops and deep-dive into topics that matter to you.
2With a multitude of networking opportunities, don't forget to connect and find your next mentor among the conference attendees.
4There’s a place for everyone at Geek Girls Portugal. Share your stories and make valuable connections for your career.
6The conference agenda will be out soon! Stay tuned!
Sonae Auditorium | Floor 0
Vânia Gonçalves
Ana Jogo Mendes
Sonae Auditorium | Floor 0
Designing a system that supports millions of users is challenging and it is a journey that requires continuous refinement and endless improvement. In this talk, we will be building a system that supports a single user and gradually scale it up to serve millions of users, which will help you crack system design interviews.
Ana Sampaio
Sonae Auditorium | Floor 0
Have you ever been tasked with improving a product, but you weren't sure where to start? Drawing from insights in user-centered design, behavioral psychology, and product management, this talk will explore a structured approach to building software that solves user pain points while creating business value. This talk will equip product teams with practical tools to tackle building products when little guidance is given.
Kinga Magyar
Sonae Auditorium | Floor 0
This talk will highlight the vital role of API security in today's interconnected world. You'll learn about the risks and best practices to safeguard your digital infrastructure against cyber threats. Ideal for anyone keen on understanding API security's importance.
Teresa Pereira
Sonae Auditorium | Floor 0
This talk will highlight the importance of MLOps in maximizing AI's potential for business innovation and operational efficiency. It will explore the transition from DevOps to MLOps as crucial for developing scalable, reliable AI solutions that drive growth and competitiveness. Through a mix of theory and case studies, the talk aims to spark discussions on the future of AI and MLOps integration, including the role of AI agents like ChatGPT in these initiatives.
Atina Koljevina
Sonae Auditorium | Floor 0
Dive into web accessibility with a focus on ARIA attributes and screen readers. This talk will compare accessible versus inaccessible code through real-world examples and discuss their impact on users with disabilities. In this talk you'll expand your knowledge of inclusive web design!
Venera Aitkul
Sonae Auditorium | Floor 0
We often admire the perfection of great works of art without considering the countless hours of effort and numerous errors the artists had to endure to achieve greatness. Nothing always seems perfect, but why do we seek the perfect solution and the perfect code? This talk will reflect on the struggle to resist your primal instinct to seek perfection.
Joana Correia
Sonae Auditorium | Floor 0
The talk aims to help uncover and bring to light hidden biases in AI systems, giving practical examples of real world AI that showcased bias, while also providing insights on how to make machine learning systems fairer, with particular emphasis in gender bias.
Liliana Antão
2.2 Room | Floor 2
This workshop will train you in understanding social platform data, blending traditional and emerging methods to answer research questions. It focuses on Instagram and TikTok hashtags, teaching data collection, cleaning, and exploratory sampling. For this workshop you'll need to bring your laptop with Firefox or Waterfox browser installed and will need access to Google Sheets.
Ana Marta M. Flores
1.13 Auditorium | Floor 1
In this workshop, you'll be given an introduction to security and its importance, as well as some examples of common security problems that arise during different stages of software development, and how to prevent them. In the end, you should be more aware of the common security pitfalls and use that knowledge to produce better, safer software.
Mariana Fernandes
2.3 Room | Floor 2
In a time when many companies are reevaluating their work models, the need to discuss team autonomy becomes crucial. Full remote, in person or imposing in-office days, this is the new era that fosters companies to rethink the way they work and their team management strategies. This workshop will address the importance of building team autonomy and its relationships based on trust, providing some guidelines on how to implement autonomy and have productive teams. By Daniela Costa and Sara Santos.
Daniela Costa
Sara Santos
2.6 Room | Floor 2
This workshop aims to provide a quick overview of UX design methodologies and highlight AI's integration into the field. It will begin with an introduction to UX for those less familiar with it, showcase current AI applications in UX, and will focus on a practical exercise where participants will apply AI in a UX solution. For this workshop you'll need to bring your own laptop. By Inês Cerqueira and Mariam Asatryan.
Inês Cerqueira
Mariam Asatryan
2.7 Room | Floor 2
This workshop will start with an explanation of empathy concepts and will be followed by a practical exercise in which each participant practices a listening session method (based on practical tips) in order to discover some challenges faced by these professionals on a daily basis. This methodology can be used either in ux and product practices to understand users' needs and guiding principles as well as a leadership tool to understand teams dynamics.
Mariana Tavernari
EDP Auditorium | Floor 1
Join this empowering workshop on Personal Branding to learn how to harness your unique identity and stand out in your field. Let's build your brand together!
Raquel Soares
1.13 Auditorium | Floor 1
In this workshop, participants will contact with blockchain and DLT technology: wallets, basic principles behind NFTs, create their first NFT and conduct common actions regarding NFTs. For this workshop you'll need to bring your laptop.
Catarina Reis
2.2 Room | Floor 2
Join this interactive workshop to explore the gender gap in IT. In this workshop you’ll deepen the critical issue of gender diversity in the IT field. In an industry that thrives on innovation and inclusivity, it's essential to bridge the gender gap and create an environment that celebrates diversity. For this workshop you'll need to bring your laptop.
Filomena Cardoso
EDP Auditorium | Floor 1
Using AI models in less than 30 minutes can be a bit challenging, but it's possible to get started with some quick shortcuts. In this workshop, you will learn about AI models by exploring Transformers, how to use them, and how they can enhance your experience in the world of AI. The key lies in finding pre-trained models, and you're going to discover how to do just that. Main topics for this workshop: - Breaking down Artificial Intelligence: the difference between AI, ML, and Deep Learning - The basics of transformers and how you can use them - What to be aware of when working with AI.
Ana Margarida Ferreira
2.3 Room | Floor 2
Creating software is much more than just writing code. BizDevOps is a software development approach that fosters collaboration between business, development teams and product operations. In this workshop, we will explore together what it's like to be part of those teams and their impact on organization, products and engineering excellence by understanding fundamental principles such as CI/CD, automation and infrastructure as code.
Inês Maia
2.6 Room | Floor 2
Join this workshop to explore GitHub Copilot, the AI-powered coding assistant that's transforming software development. This workshop will cover how Copilot works, its advantages and limitations, as well as how developers can collaborate with it in their daily work. In a practical session, you will learn how to install Copilot and use it in your projects. After attending this workshop, you will have learned the basics of Copilot and how to use it wisely. Plus, you'll get a glimpse of where software development is headed in the near future. For this workshop you'll need to bring your laptop, Visual Studio Code or JetBrains suite of IDEs installed and a GitHub account.
Liliana Pereira
2.7 Room | Floor 2
#IAmRemarkable is a global movement that empowers everyone to celebrate their achievements in the workplace and beyond. The main goal? Lift the motivation and skills of self promotion and challenge the social perception around self promotion. During the workshop, you will learn the importance of self-promotion in your personal and professional life and be equipped with tools to develop this skill.
Patrícia Duarte Mateus
Sonae Auditorium | Floor 0
This discussion panel aims to celebrate and explore the contributions of women in tech, specifically within the fascinating world of AI. Join us for an insightful conversation where our speakers will share their experiences, challenges, and triumphs in shaping the future of AI. Discover how women are breaking the code and leaving an indelible mark on the tech industry.
Goreti Marreiros
Marilia Simões
Susana Brás
Inês Sousa
Sonae Auditorium | Floor 0
Vânia Gonçalves
Deck
TBA!
Executive Director (Innovation X Hub, Porto Business School)
Ana is the Executive Director of the Innovation X Hub at Porto Business School. Throughout her 20 years over career she has worked in the areas of innovation, management, knowledge valorization and digital transformation. She has a degree in Industrial Engineering and Management and international experience. Her background includes industrial companies as well as institutions of the Portuguese Scientific and Technological System, having worked in the areas of manufacturing, teaching, consulting, innovation management, digital transformation, technology transfer, entrepreneurship, capacity building and courses designing, development and management of digital platforms or communication and backoffice management (finance, ICT, people). She has worked for institutions such as INOVA+, COTEC Portugal for 13 years, University of Aveiro, INEGI or Philips.
Lead Teacher at Le Wagon and Data Engineer at New York SE (Le Wagon Portugal / New York SE)
Margarida has been a Data Engineer for the past decade (ex-Deloitte, ex-Farfetch, and ex-Sonae BIT). She loves to solve problems with data and consistently seeks ways to automate boring tasks. In her day-to-day work, she specializes in transforming raw data into useful information for companies and their business users, always keeping in mind the scalability and robustness of data pipelines. Teaching is one of her passions, and whenever she finds the time, she contributes to Le Wagon Portugal bootcamps. Margarida is also a sports enthusiast, and a huge fan of football, puzzles, and crosswords. Recently, she discovered that cross-stitching is her zen spot.
Post-doc Researcher at University of Coimbra (University of Coimbra /FCT and ICNOVA)
Ana Marta M. Flores is a PhD in journalism, researcher at ICNOVA/iNOVA Media Lab and Obi.Media - Media Innovation Observatory at the same university. She is also a collaborator of the Trends and Culture Management Lab, at the University of Lisbon (CEAUL). Currently, she is a postdoctoral researcher of MyGender project, at the University of Coimbra, and communication officer of the Digital Culture and Communication section of the European Communication Research and Education Association (ECREA).
Senior Frontend Engineer (Rightmove)
Ana Sampaio is a senior frontend engineer with a passion for leadership. Over the years her interest has shifted from delivering high-quality code to building highly valuable relationships. Ana leverages a decade of experience working on high-traffic web platforms using JavaScript and more recently ReactJS. When she's not coding, she mentors and coaches other engineers guiding them towards seniority.
Senior Data Scientist (Intellias)
Atina is an AI Consultant at Intellias, with a rich background as a Machine Learning Engineer at a product-focused firm. With over seven years of experience in computer vision and NLP projects, she combines her mathematical foundation and tech enthusiasm to leverage artificial intelligence in innovating various industry verticals. Beyond her professional role, she is deeply passionate about empowering women in technology.
Professor || Researcher || Head of R&D at VOID Software
Catarina Reis holds a PhD in Computer Science from the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and a postgraduation in Strategic Management from the Universidade de Coimbra. She has been a Professor at the Polytechnic of Leiria since 2002, where she lectures on advanced topics in software engineering, agile methodologies, software quality and object-oriented programming. She is currently the Head of Research and Development at VOID Software to increase the outreach of scientific advancements in several areas. Her research topics include mHealth, Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technologies, Mobile Development (Android e iOS) and Agile Software Development Practices. She is a Senior Member of IEEE, Counselor of the IEEE Student Branch from the Polytechnic of Leiria. Vice-Chair of the IEEE Portugal Section and the Co-Chair for the Community Dev/Outreach of the IEEE Blockchain Initiative. She is also a frequent contributor as a reviewer and author of publications in conferences and journals.
Chief Operating Officer (Eurotux)
Daniela graduated in Computer Engineering from ISEP about 20 years ago and started her career as a developer. She specialized in Project Management and became PMP certified. Holding a master's in Innovation and Technological Entrepreneurship from FEUP, she recently completed an MBA at Porto Business School. Her professional journey has taken her from Project Management to Quality Management, Innovation Management, and Marketing. Currently, she is the COO of the Eurotux group in Portugal, overseeing internal operations, including HR, Marketing and Project Management.
User Experience Designer (Mercedes-Benz iO)
In the last 13 years, Filomena immersed herself in every facet of the Software Development Life Cycle: from User Experience, Product Design, governance, and strategy. The will to explore, resolve, and simplify interface problems with complicated concepts and processes has fueled her journey. This experience has deepened her passion for and comprehension of the user's experience. Filomena's aspiration is to guide teams in tackling intricate challenges by crafting straightforward, refined product solutions that bring joy and empowerment to customers.
Director of GECAD/ Professor at ISEP/President of APPIA
Goreti Marreiros, Ph.D., is an esteemed academic and researcher in Artificial Intelligence, holding leadership positions at the Institute of Engineering – Polytechnic of Porto and directing the renowned GECAD research group. As President of the Portuguese Association for Artificial Intelligence and a member of prominent international bodies, she drives advancements in the field. With over 240 publications and leadership in numerous R&D projects, her expertise spans diverse domains including Tourism, Industry 4.0, Health Care, and Security. She is dedicated to mentoring PhD and MSc students, fostering innovation, and has received numerous awards for her impactful contributions. Her extensive collaborations worldwide underscore her influence and global reach in advancing AI research and applications.
UI/UX Designer (Craftable Software)
Driven by a desire to create user-centric solutions, Inês made a bold career shift from Biomedical Engineering into UX design. Embracing this transition, she has since applied her analytical mindset to crafting seamless and intuitive user experiences. Her journey has taken her across diverse industries, including working with large corporations, the dynamic gaming industry, and the ever-evolving world of e-commerce."Driven by a desire to create user-centric solutions, Inês made a bold career shift from Biomedical Engineering into UX design. Embracing this transition, she has since applied her analytical mindset to crafting seamless and intuitive user experiences. Her journey has taken her across diverse industries, including working with large corporations, the dynamic gaming industry, and the ever-evolving world of e-commerce.
Chief Technical Titan (Critical Techworks)
Inês is currently Chief Technical Titan at Critical TechWorks where she is responsible for supporting different BizDevOps teams who are changing the way the world moves in the vehicle data collection business area. Following her master’s degree in network and information systems at Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto, she worked on a research group to develop a morphological and emotional word analyser. In 2017, she joined Critical Software where she initially started as a Software Engineering and then she moved to Critical TechWorks, where she worked as a Rockstar Developer and Scrum Knight, before she started her current position as Titan.
Head of Intelligent Systems (Fraunhofer Portugal)
Inês Sousa is the Head of Intelligent Systems and a senior researcher at Fraunhofer Portugal AICOS. She leads a team of 30 researchers focused on conceptualizing, planning, and developing secure Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based solutions that positively impact various domains. With a PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Instituto Superior Técnico, her research journey began in brain function analysis through quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging techniques, collaborating with Siemens Healthcare and Hospital da Luz. Transitioning to AI, she maintains a focus on evolving processes such as clinical risk factors and post-surgical recovery. Inês is currently engaged in the Center for Responsible AI, advocating for robust and auditable AI solutions while preserving data privacy. She also coordinates the European AISym4Med consortium, aiming to establish a platform supporting the development of secure AI solutions for healthcare using high-quality clinical data.
Yellow Software Developer (Volkswagen Digital Solutions)
Joana is a software developer at Volkswagen Digital Solutions who loves to share her yellow journey in an open-minded conversation with anyone who is willing to listen. She started her career in infrastructure and security monitoring but later found her true passion in development. She has been focusing on mobile development with React-Native for a long time and is now starting from scratch with Kotlin Multi-Platform. In her free time, she likes to improve her creativity by drawing, playing the cello, reading and engaging in storytelling.
Product manager (Volkswagen Digital Solutions)
Kinga is a product manager at Volkswagen Digital Solutions in Lisbon. She builds digital products with international teams to solve user pain points while creating business value. During her years in product management, she has led B2B and B2C product initiatives across diverse topics, including industrial automation, inventory management, e-commerce and subscription management. She studied and worked in 6 countries.
Data Scientist (DEUS)
Liliana Antão is a Data Scientist with a strong background in engineering and research, with a focus on AI and machine learning applications. Liliana is currently a PhD student at the Faculty of Engineering of University of Porto (FEUP), where she investigates how AI can be applied to human-robot collaboration. In her current role as Data Scientist at DEUS.ai Liliana is involved in several projects ranging from Natural Language Processing to AI model monitoring, where she is dedicated to leveraging her expertise to drive innovation and positive change in AI.
Back-end Developer (Turbine Kreuzberg)
Liliana Pereira is an experienced backend developer with over 15 years in the field. Specializing primarily in PHP and more recently in Typescript, she has worked internationally, holding roles with a direct connection to the markets of The Netherlands, England, and, currently, Germany. Having grown up in a small town in the interior of Portugal, she truly believes in the importance of working passionately towards a goal, independently of background and initial life opportunities. Recently, she became a Geek Girls Portugal ambassador in Faro to help reactivate tech discussions in the Algarve.
Co-founder and Head of XD (Yellow Umbrella)
Mariam has co-founded Yellow Umbrella with a dream to use experience design (ExD) in solving truly impactful challenges in support of helping people and the environment. She has more than 15 years of experience in the field of digital & experience design, working with startups and large corporations, big humanitarian organizations and small social enterprises, providing ExD vision from ideation to completion, focusing on core human experience.
Security Engineer (Let's Get Checked)
A master's in computer engineering, she's been working for 2 years as an Application Security Analyst. With a mythbusters-like curiosity and a love for Information Security, she's been growing in this field. When she's not wearing a hoodie in the dark, she's volunteering as a first responder at the Red Cross.
Experience Design Manager (Globant)
Working as a design manager at Globant, Mariana is passionate about building bridges between countries, teams and organizations through a customer experience and service design lenses.
CEO / Co-Founder & Data Science Specialist at ML Analytics
Marília Felismino Simões, with 15+ years in Data Science, led teams at TomTom and TNT/FedEx, overseeing global e-commerce operations for map sales. With expertise in International Digital Business and Customer Intelligence Management, she blends business acumen with analytical skills for evidence-based solutions. Marília, now based in Lisbon after global roles in Amsterdam, co-founded ML Analytics with her husband, a boutique specialized in generating business value from company data using state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence tools. The company operates serving clients like the European Space Agency. As an independent consultant, she and her team specialize in turning data into tangible business outcomes through cutting-edge AI and Data Science techniques.
Software QA Engineer at MotorK
After leaving university with a Master Degree in Computer Science, Patrícia Mateus was quite unaware of which area she would like to pursue and develop a career in it. Kind of by accident, Software Quality Assurance appears in her path and she reviewed herself in that area. As such, that she's already working as QA for 10 years. She participated in different projects, with different teams and cultures, languages and ways of working, That's why she likes to talk about this area, present them to the ones that don't know that it exists and deconstruct the idea hat QA is just testing and randomly clicking buttons.
Mentorship Area: Software QA
Personal Brander Strategist, Style Coach™ and Executive Coach (Love People)
Raquel holds a degree in Human Resources Management, a Postgraduate qualification in Integrated Management Systems, and a Master's degree in Human Resources Management and Development. In 2014, she founded Love People: Personal Branding & Image Consulting with the mission to assist professionals in cultivating their Personal Brand and enhancing their Professional Image across diverse industries. Raquel is the creator of 'Day by Day,' an innovative agenda designed to optimize Brand and Image management. Her expertise encompasses a range of roles, including Personal Brand Strategist, Professional Image Consultant, Style Coach™, Brand Archetypes Specialist, Career Mentor, and Executive Coach. Additionally, Raquel serves as the manager of Beautiful Branding Agency, a firm specializing in Employer Branding, Leadership, and Team Management.
Agile Coach (kununu)
Sara is an Agile Coach with more than 10 years of experience in IT companies in several areas. Her journey began as a Social Worker, working with diverse social problems and managing some teams and institutions. However, the “tech bug” was there and made her change her career path in 2010, when she decided to graduate in Computer Engineering at ISEP. That is the area where she feels fulfilled. She has been an Agile Coach for more than 7 years, coaching and empowering teams to be more productive and supporting companies on their Agile Transformation, building great products and delivering value to their customers/users.
Data Scientist / Board Member of "Associação Portuguesa de Reconhecimento de Padrões" (University of Aveiro)
Susana Brás is a researcher at IEETA, University of Aveiro, committed to informatics. She possesses a multidisciplinary academic background with a degree in Applied Mathematics and a Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences. Having dedicated her initial research efforts to understanding individuals and their reactions to society, particularly in the realm of affective computing. She is now equally interested in the environment surrounding individuals, aiming to study and adapt the context to enhance the quality of life. This scope brings her research into addressing challenges associated with class imbalance, noise, and missing values, all of which are actively explored by her team. Beyond academia, she is enthusiastic about science communication to the general audience.
Threat Hunter (Siemens Energy)
Teresa Pereira is currently working as a Threat Hunter at Siemens Energy. In her previous experience, she worked as a Pentester at KPMG Portugal. She entered the Cybersecurity world in 2021 and the world of API Hacking in 2022. In December 2023 she was invited to speak at apidays Paris 2023, where she talked about API Discovery and API Documentation.
Founder (Geek Girls Portugal)
Vânia founded in 2010 the first Portuguese community for women in tech, Geek Girls Portugal, a community dedicated to inspiring, mentoring and empowering women to excel in technology careers. Vânia is passionate about women’s empowerment, diversity and inclusion and throughout her career dedicates efforts on building a more diverse tech ecosystem while supporting women in tech to step up. With over 20 years of international experience in technology, security, digital transformation and research across different industries, Vânia is a passionate and driven leader who aims to leverage technology, research and innovation to create positive social impact. She is currently also a Research Manager at Cloudflare.
Frontend Developer (Devexperts)
Venera has been a Frontend Developer at Devexperts for the past two years, specializing in creating accessible components. Her passion lies in crafting well-structured, semantically-rich code while striving for flawless code organization.
GPS Coordinates: 41.182873,-8.654078
