Pedro Almeida

Assistant Professor with Agregação. Group Leader of High Pressure Plasmas Group of Instituto de Plasmas e Fusão Nuclear. Vice-President of the Faculty of Exact Sciences and Engineering of Universidade da Madeira.

Pedro Almeida earned the title of Agregação (similar to Habilitation in other countries) in Physics in 2023 and a PhD in Physics in 2011, both by Universidade da Madeira. His current research interests include theory and modelling of corona and streamer discharges, of self-organized patterns of spots on electrodes of glow discharges, kinetic theory of plasma, and stability of low-current discharges and breakdown phenomena in both compressed gases and vacuum. He has served as director of IPFN Research Node in Universidade da Madeira between 2017 and 2019 and is a member of IPFN Administration Board. He is a member of the Scientific Council and Secretary of the Assembly of Faculdade de Ciências Exactas e da Engenharia.

Pedro Almeida published 20 papers in important international scientific journals (with peer review) in the field of Low-temperature Plasma Physics and several dozens of contributions to the main international conferences of the same field. He has participated in 8 nationally-funded research projects as a team member or core CV, 1 industry-funded research projects as work package leader, a research networks funded by the European Union, and a large-scale project funded by the European Regional Development Fund as a Principal Researcher.
Pedro Almeida is referee for several international scientific journals; as examples, Plasma Sources Science and Technology, Physics of Plasmas, Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics, IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science.

Participation in Research Projects
With National funding:
– Theory and modelling of plasma-cathode interaction in high-pressure arc discharges. 2000-2004. Funding: FCT, project No. 32411/1999.
– Modes of current transfer to cathodes of high-pressure arc discharges and their stability. 2005-2009. Funding: FCT, project POCI(PPCDT)/FIS/60526/2004.
– Cathode spots in high-pressure DC gas discharges: self-organization phenomena. 2009-2012. Funding: FCT, project PTDC/FIS/68609/2006.
– Modelling, understanding, and controlling self-organization phenomena in plasma-electrode interaction in gas discharges: from first principles to applications. 2013-2015. Funding: FCT, project PTDC/FIS-PLA/2708/2012.
– Pest-OE/UID/FIS/50010/2013. Funding: FCT. Duration: 2014-01-01 – 2018-12-31.
– UID/FIS/50010/2019. Funding: FCT. Duration: 2019-01-01 – 2021-12-31.

With industrial funding:
– Modelling of high-voltage breakdown. 01.07.2015 – 31.12.2018. Funding: Siemens Corporate Research, Germany. Work Package Leader.

Research networks funded by the European Union:
– Efficient lighting for the XXI century. 2001-2006. Funding: programme COST (European Cooperation in the field of Scientific and Technical Research) of the European Union, action 529, Technical Committee Materials.

Funded by the European Regional Development Fund
– PlasMa: advanced theory and simulation of plasmas relevant to energy applications. Duration: 2019-2021. Project code: M1420-01-0145-FEDER-000016. Principal researcher.

Journal publications
20 – M S Benilov, P G C Almeida, N G Ferreira, R M S Almeida and G V Naidis, A practical guide to modeling low-current quasi-stationary gas discharges: Eigenvalue, stationary, and time-dependent solvers, J. Appl. Phys., vol. 130, no. 12, pp. 121101, 2021.
19 – N G C Ferreira, P G C Almeida, M S Benilov, V Panarin, V Skakun, V Tarasenko, and G V  Naidis, ‘Computational and experimental study of time-averaged characteristics of positive and negative DC corona discharges in point-plane gaps in atmospheric air’, IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci., 2020, https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/9247494/;
18 – P G C Almeida, R M S Almeida, N G C Ferreira, G V Naidis and M S Benilov, ‘Simple computation of self-sustainment voltage of gas discharges’, Plasma Sources Sci. Technol., 2020, https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6595/abbf91;
17 –  N G C Ferreira, P G C Almeida, M S Benilov and G V Naidis, ‘Comment on “Electric field measurements under DC corona discharges in ambient air by electric field induced second harmonic generation” [Appl. Phys. Lett. 115, 244101 (2019)]”, Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 117, no. 2, pp. 026101, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0007572;
16 – M D Cunha, N Wenzel, P G C Almeida, W Hartmann and M S Benilov, ‘A simple model of distribution of current over cathodes of vacuum circuit breakers’, IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci., vol. 47, no. 8, pp. 3462-3469, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1109/TPS.2019.2927794;
15 – N G C Ferreira, D F N Santos, P G C Almeida, G V Naidis and M S Benilov, ‘Simulation of pre-breakdown discharges in high-pressure air. I: The model and its application to corona inception’, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys., vol. 52, no. 35, pp. 355206, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6463/ab2849;
14 – M S Bieniek, P G C Almeida and M S Benilov, ‘Self-consistent modeling of self-organized patterns of spots on anodes of DC glow discharges’, Plasma Sources Sci. Technol., vol. 27, no. 5, pp. 05LT03, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6595/aac0e9;
13 – M S Bieniek, D F N Santos, P G C Almeida and M S Benilov, ‘Bifurcations in the theory of current transfer to cathodes of DC discharges and observations of transitions between different modes’, Phys. Plasmas, vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 042307, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5024383;
12 – P G C Almeida, M S Benilov, M D Cunha and J G L Gomes, ‘Computing Different Modes on Cathodes of DC Glow and High-Pressure Arc Discharges: Time-Dependent Versus Stationary Solvers’, Plasma Processes Polym., vol. 14, no. 4-5, pp. 1600122, 2017, http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ppap.201600122;
11 – M S Bieniek, P G C Almeida and M S Benilov, ‘Modelling cathode spots in glow discharges in the cathode boundary layer geometry’, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys., vol. 49, no. 10, pp. 105201, 2016, https://doi.org/10.1088/0022-3727/49/10/105201;
10 – W Zhu, P Niraula, P G C Almeida, M S Benilov and D F N Santos, ‘Self-organization in dc glow microdischarges in krypton: modelling and experiments’, Plasma Sources Sci. Technol., vol. 23, no. 5, pp. 054012, 2014, https://doi.org/10.1088/0963-0252/23/5/054012;
9 – P G C Almeida and M S Benilov, ‘Multiple solutions in the theory of direct current glow discharges: Effect of plasma chemistry and nonlocality, different plasma-producing gases, and 3D modelling’, Phys. Plasmas, vol. 20, no. 10, pp. 101613, 2013, https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4826184;
8 – P G C Almeida, M S Benilov, M D Cunha and J G L Gomes, ‘Quenching thermal instability in the body of a thermionic arc cathode’, Plasma Sources Sci. Technol., vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 012002, 2013, https://doi.org/10.1088/0963-0252/22/1/012002;
7 – P G C Almeida, M S Benilov and M J Faria, ‘Three-dimensional modeling of self-organization in DC glow microdischarges’, IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci., vol. 39, no. 11, pp. 2190-2191, 2011, https://doi.org/10.1109/TPS.2011.2148129;
6 – P G C Almeida, M S Benilov and M J Faria, ‘Study of stability of dc glow discharges with the use of COMSOL Multiphysics software’, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys., vol. 44, no. 41, pp. 415203, 2011, https://doi.org/10.1088/0022-3727/44/41/415203;
5 – P G C Almeida, M S Benilov and M J Faria, ‘Multiple solutions in the theory of dc glow discharges’, Plasma Sources Sci. Technol., vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 025019 (13pp), 2010, https://doi.org/10.1088/0963-0252/19/2/025019;
4 – P G C Almeida, M S Benilov, M D Cunha and M J Faria, ‘Analysing bifurcations encountered in numerical modelling of current transfer to cathodes of dc glow and arc discharges’, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys., vol. 42, no. 19, pp. 194010 (21pp), 2009, https://doi.org/10.1088/0022-3727/42/19/194010;
3 – P G C Almeida, M S Benilov and M D Cunha, ‘Transient spots on cathodes of high-pressure arc discharges’, IEEE Trans. Plasma Sci., vol. 36, no. 4, pp. 1032-1033, 2008, https://doi.org/10.1109/TPS.2008.927099;  
2 – P G C Almeida, M S Benilov and M D Cunha, ‘Formation of stationary and transient spots on thermionic cathodes and its prevention’, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys., vol. 41, no. 14, pp. 144004 (9pp), 2008, https://doi.org/10.1088/0022-3727/41/14/144004;
1 – P G C Almeida, M S Benilov and G V Naidis, ‘Calculation of ion mobilities by means of the two-temperature displaced-distribution theory’, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys., vol. 35, no. 13, pp. 1577-1584, 2002, https://doi.org/10.1088/0022-3727/35/13/321;

Education
June 1997 – finished high-school in Liceu de Jaime Moniz, Funchal;
June 2001 – obtained the BSc degree in Physics from the University of Madeira;
March 2006 – successfully concluded Provas de Aptidão Pedagógica e Capacidade Científica (similar to MSc) in Physics at the University of Madeira. His thesis focuses on kinetic theory of ionized gases and the calculation of ion mobilities;
July 2011 – obtained the PhD in Physics from the University of Madeira. His thesis focuses on investigation of different modes of current transfer to cathodes of glow and arc discharges;
January 2023 – obtained the title of Doutor Agregado in Physics from the University of Madeira.

Professional track
September 2000 – Scientific Initiation Fellowship;
October 2001 – Invited Teaching Assistant;
August 2002 – tenure-track probationary Teaching Assistant;
March 2006 – Teaching Assistant;
July 2011 – Assistant Professor;
January 2023 – Assistant Professor with Agregação.