HELLO, WORLD. I AM POLIANA.

2023 - present

Master's in Physics

With my growing interest in quantum computing, I decided to pursue a second master's degree, this time in Physics at UNICAMP. This choice was motivated by the realization that research approaches in Computing and Physics are quite different, and I wanted to also experience the academic environment in Physics to enrich my education and contribute to the field in the best way possible in the future.

My current project focuses on the synthesis and optimization of operations in quantum computing, using Machine Learning techniques, with an emphasis on reinforcement learning. The goal is to develop methods that reduce the number of operations to be performed on a quantum computer by converting them into fundamental gates in an optimized way. We started with classical ML, intending to also build quantum ML in the future. This research aims to contribute to the efficiency and applicability of quantum computers in real-world problems.

2022 - present

Teaching

I began my teaching experience as a professor in the Teaching Internship course during my master's in Computer Science. This activity sparked my interest in teaching, leading me to work in different institutions and educational projects.

My first major project was in partnership with the Associação Singular, a Brazilian NGO that promotes development in technology and art. In the Techne project, I taught robotics classes to 8th and 9th-grade students in a public school, teaching concepts of software and hardware. Over a year, we held a line-following robot competition, awarding the best group with computers. The project was a milestone in the city, receiving a Motion of Applause in the City Council.

After this experience, I started to work more formally in educational institutions, highlighting my work at:

• Koru: Online learning platform. I taught synchronous classes on Big Data ecosystem, Machine Learning, IoT, Python, and Front-End, as well as preparing material for all modules.
• FACENS: Creation of handouts on Data Structures for internal use by the institution. Recording classes aimed at undergraduates.
• SENAC: Production of two textbooks for undergraduate courses: "Introduction to Data Science" and "Machine Learning". I also recorded classes for these subjects.
• EBAC: Recording material on Deep Fake and Prompt Engineering for the free course "AI for Business".
• FIAP: Mentor professor in the modules of AI Fundamentals, Machine Learning, and Advanced Machine Learning. I hold weekly meetings with students to explain concepts, resolve doubts, and correct projects in a postgraduate AI course.

2021

CERN

I participated in the CERN Summer Internship, an international program that offers lectures with leading experts in particle physics and the opportunity to develop innovative projects. This online internship highlighted my passion for the integration between physics and computing, one of the reasons that contributed to my selection. My project explored the use of AutoML to optimize hyperparameters in Machine Learning models applied to fast simulation of particle showers in calorimeters. We developed a metric to evaluate the model's performance, combining physical and computational validations, and tested different AutoML techniques.

2020 - 2021

UNINTER Global Ambassador

I participated in the Uninter Global Student Ambassadors program, an initiative of personalized online mentorship in English, lasting one year, with a North American executive. The program, which selects 15 students from different regions of Brazil, offered weekly meetings, focusing on language practice, interview preparation, and conversations in international contexts, as well as insights into the labor market and education in North America. This experience was important to improve my English, expand my global vision, and participate in exclusive discussions and international events, strengthening my preparation for future challenges and opportunities in a global context.

2020 - 2024

Physics

I rediscovered my interest in physics and decided to start a new undergraduate degree in the field. During the course, I delved into topics such as classical mechanics, electromagnetism, and modern physics, developing a special fascination for quantum physics. This interest evolved into the union between physics and computing, focusing on quantum computing and information.

I conducted a scientific initiation on the no-cloning theorem, exploring its theoretical and practical implications. My Undergraduate Thesis aimed to map and understand the panorama of research in quantum computing in Brazil, uniting my interest in physics, technology, and scientific advancement in the country.

2020 - present

AI Girls

I highlight the AI Girls community, which I co-founded and continue to participate in as a coordinator, speaker, and mentor. AI Girls is a community that promotes the inclusion of women in artificial intelligence in a technical and practical way. It organizes workshops, mentorships, and events focused on developing skills in AI, data science, and machine learning, as well as fostering networking. With a collaborative environment, it connects beginners and professionals, inspiring female leadership in technology.

With the intention of sharing the process of creating the community and the projects carried out, I wrote an article for the Women's in Information Technology (WIT) Workshop, a sub-event of the Brazilian Computing Society Congress (CSBC) 2021. The article was very well received by the reviewers, generating great discussions and earning us the award for best paper of the event.

2019 - 2022

Master's in Computer Science

I pursued my master's in Computer Science motivated by my passion for research, with a CAPES scholarship. My project was related to machine learning, wearables, and educational informatics, focusing on human activity recognition (HAR) in children in an educational context. Using accelerometer and gyroscope sensors from ActiGraph, I collected data in the classroom by monitoring children's activities, such as listening, writing, walking, or running, as well as aspects like attention and restlessness. With this data and the annotations made, I developed analyses to understand the relationship between movement, attention, and pedagogical aspects, as well as a model to classify the activities performed.

From this work, I published four papers in scientific events such as CBIE, SBIE, and IHC, being awarded 3rd best paper (2020) and best paper of the event (2022). In parallel, I collaborated on projects related to accessibility and educational informatics, focusing on computational thinking and robotics, resulting in additional publications and an honorable mention.

During the master's, I also delved into subjects such as data structures, algorithm analysis, artificial intelligence, and research methodology, strengthening my technical and academic foundation. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic and the need to adjust deadlines, I successfully completed the program, consolidating my experience in research and innovation.

2019 - 2021

Portuguese-English Language Studies

In addition to my training in technology, I also studied Portuguese-English Language Studies, motivated by my passion for reading and writing. This course not only enhanced my critical thinking but also provided me with a solid foundation in textual analysis and communication. Being a teaching degree, I developed teaching and didactic skills, which today help me convey knowledge clearly and structured, both in technical and academic contexts.

In addition to my training in technology, I also studied Portuguese-English Language Studies, motivated by my passion for reading and writing. This course not only enhanced my critical thinking but also provided me with a solid foundation in textual analysis and communication. Being a teaching degree, I developed teaching and didactic skills, which today help me convey knowledge clearly and structured, both in technical and academic contexts.

In addition to my training in technology, I also studied Portuguese-English Language Studies, motivated by my passion for reading and writing. This course not only enhanced my critical thinking but also provided me with a solid foundation in textual analysis and communication. Being a teaching degree, I developed teaching and didactic skills, which today help me convey knowledge clearly and structured, both in technical and academic contexts.

2017 - present

Communities and Hackathons

I developed a special interest in technology events, realizing that a technological community is a space for collective learning, experience exchange, and networking. In addition to actively participating, I have given lectures at more than 20 events and coordinated some of them, highlighting my role at The Developer's Conference (TDC), one of the largest technology events in Latin America. I coordinated the Machine Learning track in the São Paulo edition for four years, contributing to content curation and organization.

Hackathons have also marked my journey. At Blue Hack, IBM's hackathon in 2017, I had my first contact with artificial intelligence. My group won 1st place with the Poran project, a virtual owl designed to converse and support hospitalized children. Later, at Accenture's hackathon, we also took 1st place with Economapp, an application that used computer vision to map items in users' refrigerators, suggest recipes, and promote products close to expiration dates in local supermarkets.

During Accenture's hackathon, I was invited to intern at the company, where I worked for six months developing a document recognition project using computer vision and TensorFlow. This period was remarkable as it was my first contact with developing neural networks from scratch, in 2017, consolidating my passion for artificial intelligence and deep learning.

2017-2018

Systems Analysis and Development

After the experience in robotics, I started my first undergraduate degree in Systems Analysis and Development, venturing into a state more than 1,000 km from home at the age of 18. During the course, I learned to program in Python, Java, front-end, explored IoT, artificial intelligence, project management, and the development of iOS and Android applications. I conducted two scientific initiations: one on reading muscle stimuli with Myo for robot control and another on the development and study of convolutional neural networks (CNNs) for facial emotion recognition and game creation.

I participated in two challenges in partnership with companies, achieving 2nd place in both. For T-Systems, I developed a product control system in factories via chatbot. For Hospital Sírio-Libanês, I created "Almor", a cushion equipped with 64 proprietary pressure sensors that, using artificial intelligence, monitored the user's posture, providing feedback through an application.

This project was also my Undergraduate Thesis and, among more than 400 projects from 10 different courses, it ranked 2nd as the best project of the institution in 2018.

In addition, I received the merit scholarship for best student of the course throughout the period, crowning an experience full of learning and achievements.

2011-2016

Robotics

My journey in robotics began with learning Arduino, C++, and C, marking the start of my interest in the world of technology. I participated in the theoretical and practical modalities of the Brazilian Robotics Olympiad (OBR) and the RoboCup Junior soccer robot competition at LARC. I won the Brazilian championship for four consecutive years (2013 to 2016) and represented Brazil in two world championships, in 2014 and 2016, held in Brazil and Germany, respectively, where my team was awarded for the best presentation and team relations.