Carlos Leitão is an Assistant Professor and Sub-Director of the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Coimbra (UC). As an integrated researcher at the Centre for Mechanical Engineering Materials and Processes (CEMMPRE) and the Advanced Production & Intelligent Systems Associated Laboratory (ARISE), he has focused his research in recent years on Production Technologies, primarily studying friction-based joining and processing techniques, along with their quality assessment, optimisation, mechanical behaviour, and metallurgical characteristics. More recently, he has been exploring the dissimilar joining of unweldable materials or alloys using conventional and non-conventional joining processes, including additive techniques. Additionally, he is interested in the metallurgical and mechanical characterisation of base materials and welds through traditional and non-conventional testing methods. He was among the first Digital Image Correlation (DIC) users for strain measurement during mechanical testing of welds in Portugal. He participated in several research projects. He was the Principal Investigator for the Friction 4.0 project, which aimed to develop strategies for predicting, Modelling, and controlling frictional heating during Friction Stir Welding and related technologies, utilising experimental and numerical tools. His ongoing participation in scientific collaborations and R&D projects has facilitated the establishment of a vital network with other international R&D entities from Spain, Italy, Tunisia, and India. Carlos Leitão collaborates with other research centres, including the Institute for Sustainability and Innovation in Structural Engineering (ISISE), which encompasses various engineering fields.