João Campagnolo
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João Campagnolo

My Research Stay at Visual Intelligence: João Campagnolo

João Campagnolo is a PhD Candidate in the Neuroscience Department of the University of Copenhagen (KU). He visited SFI Visual Intelligence in Tromsø from April to May 2025.

My Research Stay at Visual Intelligence: João Campagnolo

João Campagnolo is a PhD Candidate in the Neuroscience Department of the University of Copenhagen (KU). He visited SFI Visual Intelligence in Tromsø from April to May 2025.

By Petter Bjørklund, Communications Advisor at SFI Visual Intelligence

Tell us about your PhD project

My PhD thesis investigates the neural correlates of stress resilience in zebrafish larvae (Danio rerio), using both ex vivo and in vivo brain recordings to compare stress-resilient and stress-vulnerable individuals.

Why did you choose Tromsø and Visual Intelligence for your research stay?

To make sense of this high-dimensional neural data, I needed robust computational tools and fresh perspectives on pattern analysis, which is where the Visual Intelligence group comes in. One of my PhD supervisors suggested that I ought to visit Professor Benjamin Ricaud in Tromsø, as he would be able to leverage graph theory to describe the functional networks that underly stress resilience. I couldn’t resist the possibility of briefly moving to a place this exotic, while working with a ML-focused group.

What has been the outcome of your research stay?

Working with graphs was not just technically useful—it was genuinely exciting. This experience reaffirmed my interest in mathematical approaches to neuroscience, and I’m eager to continue exploring graph-based methods in future analyses of neural activity.

How was life in Tromsø?

When I arrived in Tromsø in April, I found a welcoming community of researchers—with a broad range of backgrounds and interests. The surroundings were just as enthralling: I saw the northern lights for the first time, got to commute by skis, tried the local “delicacies” (one can skip the "brunost"), and learn about the arctic culture.

I am incredibly grateful to everyone at UiT who made this stay possible, and I sincerely hope this marks the beginning of ongoing collaboration between us.

Latest news

uit.no: Hvordan håndtere skjevheter og beskytte personvernet i KI-alderen?

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Det skal eksperter på kunstig intelligens, cybersikkerhet og juss fra UiT Norges arktiske universitet diskutere på Verdensteatret Kino den 17. september. Arrangementet er gratis og åpen for alle (Norwegian news article at uit.no)

Successful PhD defense by Nikita Shvetsov

August 27, 2025

Congratulations to Nikita Shvetsov for successfully defending his PhD thesis and achieving the PhD degree in Science at UiT The Arctic University of Norway on August 27th 2025.

uit.no: – UiT er langt fremme når det gjelder kunstig intelligens

August 25, 2025

Det sa digitaliseringsminister Karianne Tung (Ap) da hun besøkte UiT Norges arktiske universitet i Tromsø for å lære mer om utdanning og toppforskning på kunstig intelligens ved universitetet (Norwegian news article at uit.no)

Two successful PhD defenses within two days

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Congratulations to Iver Martinsen and Durgesh Kumar Singh, who successfully defended their PhD theses at UiT The Arctic University of Norway on August 20th and 21st respectively.

Visual Intelligence at Arendalsuka 2025

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Visual Intelligence brought together academia, industry, the institute sector, the Research Council of Norway, and Norwegian politics to discuss why and how Norwegian academia and industry should collaborate more closely to develop innovative artificial intelligence.

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Students from EUGLOH partner institutions can now apply for an exclusive mobility scholarship worth 2 900 EUR for the NLDL 2026 Winter School. Application deadline October 3rd 2025

Three Visual Intelligence-authored papers accepted for leading AI conference on medical imaging

June 24, 2025

Visual Intelligence will be well represented at MICCAI 2025—one of the leading AI conferences on medical imaging and computer assisted intervention—with three recently accepted research papers.

2025 Norwegian AI Society Symposium: An insightful and collaborative event

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More than 50 attendees from the Norwegian AI research community gathered in Tromsø, Norway for two days of insightful presentations, interactive technical sessions, and scientific and social interactions.

Minister of Research and Higher Education visits Visual Intelligence hub at Norwegian Computing Center

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Last week, we wished Aasland—accompanied by Political Advisor Munir Jaber and Senior Adviser Finn-Hugo Markussen—welcome to the Norwegian Computing Center (NR). One of the visit's goals was to showcase ongoing Visual Intelligence projects at NR.

Visual Intelligence represented at EAGE Annual 2025

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Alba Ordoñez and Anders U. Waldeland presented ongoing work on seismic foundation models and an interactive seismic interpretation engine at EAGE Annual 2025 in Toulouse, France.

Visual Intelligence PhD Fellow Eirik Østmo featured on Abels tårn

June 13, 2025

Østmo was invited to Abels tårn—one of the largest popular science radio shows in Norway—to answer listener-submitted questions related to artificial Intelligence (AI). The live show took place at Blårock Cafe in Tromsø, Norway on June 12th.

New Industrial PhD project with Kongsberg Satellite Services

June 12, 2025

VI industry partner Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT) received an Industrial PhD grant from the Research Council of Norway. The project will be closely connected to Visual Intelligence's "Earth observation" innovation area.

Visual Intelligence represented at plankton-themed workshop by The Institute of Marine Research

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Visual Intelligence Researchers Amund Vedal and Arnt Børre Salberg recently presented ongoing Visual Intelligence research at a plankton-themed workshop organized by the Institute of Marine Research (IMR), Norway

My Research Stay at Visual Intelligence: Teresa Dorszewski

June 5, 2025

Teresa Dorszewski is a PhD Candidate at the Section for Cognitive Systems at the Technical University of Denmark. She visited Visual Intelligence in Tromsø from January to April 2025.

Visual Intelligence represented at the NORA Annual Conference 2025

June 3, 2025

Centre Director Robert Jenssen was invited to give a keynote and participate in a panel discussion on AI as critical national infrastructure at the NORA Annual Conference 2025 in Halden, Norway.