Renato J Figueiredo, PhD

Dr. Figueiredo’s schedule and office hours

My ORCiD ID

Dr. Figueiredo’s Vitae

My research career has focused on the use of resource virtualization techniques in computer systems design as a means of improving flexibility, manageability, and isolation of systems, while supporting a wealth of existing, unmodified applications. My current research emphasis is on software-defined overlay virtual private networks supporting IoT, edge and cloud computing distributed systems. Most recently, my research has found practical applications in inter-disciplinary collaborations on ecological forecasting, biodiversity, and smart and connected communities. In particular, my inter-disciplinary collaborations in ecological forecasting have led to multiple successful NSF awards, My current research focuses on the following topics:

  • Virtualization in distributed systems (virtual machines, networks, file systems)
  • Edge computing and virtual private networks
  • Cloud computing systems and Function-as-a-Service (FaaS) applications in ecological forecasting
  • Overlay networks and their applications in systems design

My research has been funded by government and industry, including the National Science Foundation, Intel, IBM, NASA, NOAA, and ONR. You can also look up my publications on:

Some of the current research projects I am involved in include:

  • The FaaSr project (new!) – novel software design and implementation to enable the use of FaaS platforms for scientific workflows using R
  • The Rules of Life project (new!) – event-driven edge and FaaS computing for forecasting emergent behavior of phytoplankton 
  • The EdgeVPN project – EdgeVPN is an open-source user-centric software virtual network allowing end users to define and create their own virtual private networks (VPNs).
  • The FLARE project is an example of an application combining edge and cloud computing to create near real-time water quality forecasts for lakes and reservoirs.
  • The iDigBio project is the National Resource for Advancing Digitization of Biodiversity Collections (ADBC) funded by the National Science Foundation.
  • The Pacific Rim Application and Grid Middleware Assembly (PRAGMA) is a community of practice comprising individuals and institutions from around the Pacific Rim that actively collaborate with, and enable, small- to medium-sized groups to solve their problems with information technology.

At UF, I have taught undergraduate and graduate courses on various aspects of computer systems, including computer architecture (EEL-5764), virtualization (EEL-6892), and principles of computer systems design (EEL-4736, EEL-5737).