Curriculum Vitae

Last updated: January 2026

Download PDF CiênciaVitae

Areas of expertise

  • • Functional MRI & Neurofeedback
  • • Brain connectivity & data analysis
  • • Python, MATLAB, Jupyter
  • • BIDS & medical imaging data management
  • • Real-time fMRI acquisitions
  • • Open science & reproducible research

Languages

Portuguese (native) • English (C1)

Interests

Neuroimaging • Music & emotion • Data science • Cooking • Motorsports • Cinema

Short Bio

Alexandre Sayal completed his PhD in Biomedical Engineering in January 2026 at the University of Coimbra. His research at CIBIT combined functional MRI, neurofeedback, and music, developing and validating a novel music-based interface for real-time brain self-regulation. He holds an MSc in Biomedical Engineering (2016) and continues work at the intersection of neuroscience, music, and technology.

Experience

PhD in Biomedical Engineering — CIBIT, University of Coimbra
Completed January 2026
  • Design, development and validation of a music-based real-time fMRI neurofeedback interface
  • Systematic review of music in neurofeedback/BCIs, MVPA decoding of musical emotions, advanced fMRI methods
  • Open science practices, public data/code release, co-supervision and scientific writing
Research Assistant in Neuroscience — CIBIT
2015 – 2019

Human visual perception research using fMRI. Brain connectivity and perceptual bistability studies.

Education

PhD Biomedical Engineering — University of Coimbra (Siemens Healthineers Portugal partnership)
Completed January 2026
MSc Biomedical Engineering — University of Coimbra (grade 16/20)
Specialization in Clinical Informatics & Bioinformatics • Thesis: Brain connectivity analysis for real-time fMRI neurofeedback • Exchange: Aalto University, Finland

Selected Courses & Certificates

  • MRI Safety Course — Siemens Healthineers (2023)
  • Python for Data Science and Machine Learning Bootcamp (Udemy)
  • Google IT Support Professional Certificate