Today, we are sharing an interview with Sahar Moradi Cherati, a student in the Doctoral Programme in Electrical and Computer Engineering (PDEEC). Sahar Cherati is currently conducting research in the field of computer architecture at INESC-ID. In an interview with DEEC, the Iranian student spoke about her journey, from choosing her degree to deciding to move to Portugal and the main challenges she has faced over the past few years.

Her interest in science began during primary school: “As far back as I can remember, when I was at school, I was very good at mathematics and physics, and I was always curious to understand how electronic devices worked,” she recalls.

I remember asking older people for help with certain things, such as assembling small electronic circuits. (...) For me, it is more interesting to see how science works in practice, beyond theory.

Sahar Moradi Cherati, PDEEC sudente and researcher at INESC-ID

“I was more interested in robotics, so I talked to some people and students in that field. That was when I realised that I should pursue either Electronic Engineering or Computer Engineering. That is why I chose this degree.” She went on to pursue a degree in Computer Engineering at Babol Noshirvani University of Technology, where she deepened her knowledge of hardware, and later specialised in computer architecture during her master’s degree at Shahid Beheshti University. This is also the field in which she hopes to continue working in the future, particularly in the industrial sector.

She is currently focused on research as part of the PDEEC. Her work explores ways to make computer calculations more efficient, particularly for artificial intelligence applications. One approach she investigates is Most-Significant-Digit-First (MSDF) arithmetic, where the most important part of a result becomes available first. This can allow a system to use useful information earlier and, in some cases, stop a calculation before reaching full precision, helping to reduce energy consumption and hardware resources while maintaining the accuracy required by the application.

The idea is to change the way the hardware performs calculations so that useful information becomes available earlier. If the application does not need the full result, we may be able to stop sooner and save energy and computing resources.

Sahar Moradi Cherati, PDEEC sudente and researcher at INESC-ID

This is particularly relevant for smartphones, embedded systems and other edge-computing devices, which are increasingly expected to run complex applications such as artificial intelligence with limited energy and computing resources. Across the applications studied in her PhD, the MSDF-based designs have demonstrated favourable trade-offs between energy consumption, hardware cost, performance, and application-level accuracy.

In 2025, her research received the Best Student Paper Award at the IEEE Computer Society Annual Symposium on VLSI (Very Large Scale Integration), held in Kalamata, Greece. The recognition came as a surprise to her. “It meant a lot to me because a PhD represents years of work and effort. At an international conference, you present your research alongside many strong contributions, so you do not really expect your own work to be selected for the Best Student Paper Award. When it happened, I was very emotional. It was a very special moment and an important recognition of the work we had done,” she recalls.

Something I notice a lot here in Portugal is that students have more opportunities, for example, to attend conferences in this international environment.

Sahar Moradi Cherati, PDEEC sudente and researcher at INESC-ID

Throughout her time at Técnico, the student has actively participated in various international conferences in the field of engineering, motivated by the opportunity to interact with researchers, students and academics from other countries. Sahar Cherati highlights that one of the most positive aspects of the School is its promotion of an international environment, particularly through mobility experiences.

It was during her master’s degree that she decided she wanted to continue her studies in the field through a PhD, combining this stage with an experience abroad. Through her studies in computer arithmetic, she became familiar with the work of Leonel Sousa, a DEEC professor and researcher at INESC-ID, whom she later contacted and who would become her PhD supervisor. Following this initial contact with the professor, she carried out some research and came across the possibility of obtaining funding from the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) through INESC-ID in her field of study, which encouraged her to move to Portugal.

For me, everything was challenging. First, there was the language: I couldn’t understand anything, I couldn’t even read the names of places. (...) After that, I started trying to understand Portuguese better and memorise the locations.

Sahar Moradi Cherati, PDEEC sudente and researcher at INESC-ID

When she moved to Portugal, Sahar Cherati recalls facing several challenges, including understanding the Portuguese language and culture. To overcome communication barriers, she began making an effort to learn to speak and read the new language, something that has gradually improved over time. “I try to understand Portuguese. It is not easy to understand everything at first, but I already feel more confident reading and understanding some things,” she says. At the same time, the student highlights the support she has received from the community in overcoming language barriers.

She also faced difficulties finding affordable accommodation and managing the anxiety caused by the situation. Nevertheless, she remained determined to continue her journey in Portugal.

Despite encountering some obstacles, she emphasises that she has also had many positive experiences in Portugal. “I like visiting different cities, learning about their history (...) and I can say that Portugal has the best cuisine,” she says.

At the end of the interview, the student highlights that, if she could give advice to a younger student, it would be to take risks and pursue their ambitions:

Just follow your heart. If you want to experience new things, go for it.

Sahar Moradi Cherati, PDEEC sudente and researcher at INESC-ID