WRE 2025

Keynote Speaker: Anelise Nico Paes - SME - Curitiba

She is the Manager of Pedagogical Innovation at the Curitiba City Hall. Projects and activities developed:

• Gincana Virtual: estimulou estudantes e professores da Rede Municipal de Ensino (RME) de Curitiba a utilizarem recursos tecnológicos digitais para o desenvolvimento de ações de cidadania. Participação em 2016, 2017 e 2018.
• Projeto Ler e Pensar da Gazeta do Povo (Instituto GRPCOM): Vencedora do Concurso Cultural (Categoria Grupo), prêmio máximo, em novembro de 2018. Tema: Internet Segura.
• Jornal Eletrônico Extra Extra: participação de 2017 a 2024. Menção honrosa em 2018 e 2023.
• Olimpíada Brasileira de Robótica: Mérito Estadual 2023 e 2024.
• Feira de Ciências e Tecnologia: Projeto Construindo Pontes – Engenharia, robótica e aprendizagem criativa.
• Robótica Educacional: oficinas de programação, uso da plataforma Scratch e kits de robótica educacional, integrados ao currículo.
• Festival de Inovação e Criatividade 2023: Tema: Curitiba 330 anos.

Keynote Speaker: Douglas G. Macharet

He is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science (DCC) at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). He completed his PhD in Computer Science at the PPGCC/UFMG in 2013, advised by Prof. Mario F. M. Campos. He worked as a Visiting Researcher at the GRASP Lab/UPenn between 2019 and 2020, with Prof. Vijay Kumar. He is part of the Computer Vision and Robotics Laboratory (VeRLab). His main research interests include:

• Path planning and autonomous navigation
• Multi-robot systems and swarm robotics
• Human-robot interaction

Keynote Speaker: David Saldaña

David Saldaña is an assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Lehigh University. He leads the SwarmsLab and contributes to the Autonomous and Intelligent Robotics (AIR) Lab. His research focuses on multi-robot systems, swarm robotics, and aerial manipulation, with applications in environmental monitoring, disaster response, and construction. His work aims to develop resilient, adaptive robotic systems capable of operating in dynamic and unpredictable environments.

Before joining Lehigh in 2019, Saldaña was a postdoctoral researcher at the GRASP Laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania. He earned his PhD in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics from the Federal University of Minas Gerais (2017), and holds M.Sc. and B.Sc. degrees in Systems Engineering from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

His innovative research has been recognized with support from the National Science Foundation and the Office of Naval Research, including a prestigious NSF CAREER award to advance aerial robotics capable of manipulating flexible materials and adapting to shifting forces in real time.