João da Mata began his academic journey with a technical degree in IT. He then pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism at the Minas Gerais’ Federal University in Brazil, where his passion for media and investigative reporting took root. Early roles — as a reporter at Rádio UFMG, an intern at the Press Division of the German Parliament, and a contributor at taz, die Tageszeitung — provided him with a diverse perspective on media, politics, and public discourse. Motivated to bridge technology and media, João advanced his studies with a Master’s degree in Media Science at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, completing his thesis on Recommendation Systems. He further refined his interdisciplinary expertise through research-oriented positions, notably as a research assistant at CNPq in Brazil and at DFKI in Germany. Now a PhD candidate at TU Berlin’s QU Lab, João is exploring IDSS for fact-checking workflows. His research integrates multi-modal AI, explainable interfaces, and legal compliance to strengthen media verification processes in the fight against disinformation.