On 19 and 20 October, the public exams for Habilitation in the branch of knowledge of Mechanical Engineering, requested by Doctor Hélder de Jesus Fernandes Puga, took place in the Sala de Atos of the Azurém Campus of the University of Minho, Guimarães, and were unanimously approved.

The jury was chaired by Dr Filipe Samuel Correia Pereira da Silva, Full Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the School of Engineering of the University of Minho, and its members were Dr Maria Teresa Freire Vieira, Retired Full Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Coimbra; Dr Sandra Maria Fernandes Carvalho, Full Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Faculty of Science and Technology of the University of Coimbra; Dr Luís Filipe Malheiros de Freitas Ferreira, Full Professor of the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto; Dr Joaquim Gabriel Magalhães Mendes, Full Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto; Dr João Paulo Flores Fernandes, Full Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the School of Engineering of the University of Minho; and Dr José Luís de Carvalho Martins Alves, Full Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the School of Engineering of the University of Minho.

The Habilitation degree is awarded to professors with a professional curriculum of high merit who demonstrate relevant activity in terms of advanced research, training or guidance, and the authorship of scientific work of recognised quality after obtaining a doctorate.