Ana Inês Inácio: TNO Researcher Developing Wireless Tech

When Ana Inês Inácio goes to work at the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) in The Hague, she thinks about signals most people don’t see: radio waves traveling between satellites, sensors, and future wireless networks.

The integrated circuits designed by the research scientist lay the foundation for next-generation RF sensor systems that are critical to the development of radar technology.

Those invisible RF signals are only part of what has earned the IEEE’s top member worldwide recognition.

Inácio recently received the IEEE–Eta Kappa Nu Outstanding Young Professional Award “for leadership in IEEE Young Professionals, promoting innovation and inclusiveness, and the development of RF sensor systems, combining technological excellence with impactful community involvement.”

Recognition from the prestigious IEEE community reflects work built on two parallel paths: advancing RF circuit design while helping engineers around the world build professional communities.

“I’ve always loved building things,” said Inácio. “Sometimes that means circuits; sometimes it means helping people connect and grow together.”

That combination of technological innovation and global leadership gives him a professional impact that goes beyond the laboratory.

EE lessons at the kitchen table

Inácio grew up in Vales do Rio, a rural town near Covilhã in central Portugal.

He says this region was known for farming and textiles. Many residents worked in the textile industry, including his grandfather, who repaired machinery such as industrial machinery. He became his first engineering teacher without holding an official title.

Through correspondence courses, he taught himself electrical programming. At home, he explained electricity to his grandson while fixing household appliances and wiring.

“He would show me why something was broken and how we could fix it,” he recalls. It piqued his curiosity.

His mother was a fashion designer who later managed other fashion designers. Her father left his factory job to go to culinary school and now cooks at a nursing home. Curiosity was a characteristic that touched the family.

In high school, Inácio was equally drawn to math and physics as well as biology and geology, he says. Encouragement from teachers and an uncle, who is an engineer, eventually guided him to electronics engineering.

Conducting research on integrated circuits

In 2008 he enrolled in an integrated master’s program in electrical engineering and communications at the Universidade de Aveiro in Portugal, a five-year degree that included undergraduate and graduate studies.

The opportunity to study abroad changed his path. In 2012 he moved to the Netherlands to study at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) on a six-month European exchange program with UAveiro.

A professor encouraged him to continue, so he completed his final year of his master’s studies in the Netherlands. He specializes in developing a line of RF power amplifiers at Thales. The company, based in Hengelo, the Netherlands, designs and manufactures electronic devices for safety and security.

He received his master’s degree from UAveiro in 2013. After graduation, he joined the integrated circuit design group at the University of Twente, the Netherlands, doing collaborative research as part of a nationally funded program on linear techniques for RF front-end systems. The experience introduced him to the culture of international research and persuaded him to study abroad, he says.

Engineering the future of wireless

Inácio joined TNO in 2018 as a young scientist and innovator: his first professional industry job. Today he designs integrated RF front-end systems—the circuits that allow devices to transmit and receive wireless signals.

Components remain at the core of modern communications, enabling sensor networks, satellite links, and emerging 6G technologies.

His work aims to tackle a major challenge: getting more performance out of smaller chips.

“As communication improves, we need more bandwidth to transfer more data at higher speeds,” he said. “The question is how much complexity can you pack into one system while keeping it efficient.”

Unlike commercial labs, which reuse established designs, research projects often start from scratch. Each transmit-receive chain—the signal path that converts digital data into radio waves and back again—is designed for specific needs.

His work focuses on improving key aspects of the circuit including coherence (to ensure that signals from the antenna are not distorted) and noise reduction (so that design blocks can be improved). Advanced design techniques help devices communicate reliably while using less power, a critical requirement for large sensor networks such as the Internet of Things, he says.

Artificial intelligence is starting to have an impact on his field, he says: “AI is already helping us work faster. The real challenge is learning how to use it to make better designs, not just faster.”

IEEE Compliant Call

While his technical work flourished in research labs, more adventures took place through the IEEE.

Inácio joined the organization in 2009 as a student after founding the UAveiro student branch. What started as a curiosity turned into a long-term leadership style.

He progressed through roles within Region 8—covering Europe, Africa, and the Middle East—one of the organization’s most culturally diverse regions. He was the vice chair of the student branch, and represented the region’s students to more than 22,000 IEEE members. He also served as the chairman of the Young Professionals Affinity Group of the IEEE Benelux Section, which includes Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Currently, he serves as the current chair of the Region 8 Young Professionals Committee, as well as the vice chair and representative of the IEEE Member and Geographical Activities on the IEEE Young Professionals Committee. In those roles, he represents close to 135,000 IEEE members.

In addition, he is an active member of the IEEE Microwave Theory and Technology Society, currently serving as its Junior Specialist coordinator.

His involvement with IEEE boosted his confidence at work, he says.

“IEEE didn’t directly give me a promotion at my day job, but it gave me leadership skills, networking opportunities, and the ability to work with people from all over,” he said.

That experience now shapes his work at TNO, where international collaboration is important.

The IEEE-HKN Outstanding Young Professional Award recognizes that combination of technical excellence and social impact, he says.

Looking back, Inácio sees a clear thread connecting his childhood curiosity, his international work, and his IEEE leadership: Engineering, he says, is ultimately as much about people as it is about technology.