Miguel Neto holds a PhD in Materials Physics and has over twenty years of experience in the growth of diamond films and coatings using various Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) techniques. He is currently a Principal Investigator at the Department of Materials and Ceramics Engineering (DEMAC) and the Aveiro Institute of Materials (CICECO) from the University of Aveiro. His research focuses on the deposition of thin coatings using HFCVD, PVD, and ALD techniques, targeting the development of surfaces designed for extreme and hostile environments. He has a particular interest in sensors, coatings, and nanoparticles for space exploration and biomedical applications, including cancer treatment. Over the past five years, he has undertaken several initiatives to enhance scientific understanding and broaden the application of semiconducting CVD diamond films grown on ceramics. Notably, he developed diamond surfaces with thermoelectric properties (thermistors) on dielectric substrates, introducing a novel methodology that enabled the synthesis of stable ohmic contacts with strong adhesion to diamond surfaces. Dr. Neto is the co-author of 47 articles published in SCI-indexed journals, which have received a total of 783 citations, contributing to an h-index of 15. He is also co-author of four registered patent applications, including one international patent. Currently, he is supervising one doctoral and two master’s theses. Over the past decade, he has co-supervised more than 20 master’s dissertations and undergraduate research projects. He has actively participated in five R&D projects and submitted five additional proposals. He has also contributed as Principal Investigator to five national R&D projects. From 2025 to 2029, he will participate as the University of Aveiro’s Principal Investigator in a €4 million EIC Pathfinder project.