Manuel Macedo currently works as a Research Assistant at INL in the R2UTechnologies | modular system project. His work focuses on the development of a thin-film architecture to act as an infrared filter for high-performing glass, which has strengthened his skills in cleanroom techniques, optical modelling, light management strategies, and nanofabrication.

He concluded his Integrated Master’s degree in Micro and Nanotechnology Engineering at the School of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon (SST NOVA), in 2023. His first extra-academic scientific experience occurred in the third year of his degree through an internship at the International Iberian Nanotechnology Laboratory (INL), in the Atomic Structure-Composition of Materials Research Group. In his final academic year, Manuel undertook an 8-month ERASMUS+ internship at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), the Netherlands, where he completed his master's thesis in the Department of Applied Physics. To complement his academic training, he completed an intensive two-month specialisation at Synopsys Inc., where he gained industry-relevant skills in integrated circuit design.