Pedro Vilaça is an associate professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the School of Engineering of Aalto University since March 2013, where he is the Head of the research group on Advanced Manufacturing and Materials (AM2), with 8 professors and 50 academic staff members. Previously, he has worked in the IST-University of Lisbon as Assistant Professor since 2003.

Vilaça's research interests include welding technology, solid-state-based manufacturing, non-destructive testing (NDT), materials science, and hydrogen-related technology. Before starting at Aalto University, Vilaça was president of the Portuguese Society for NDT, since 2009. There is a growing focus on Innovation in manufacturing and NDT, towards new competitive industrial solutions and commercialization, supported by IPRs and promoting spinoff actions. During his career, he has built a large collaboration network with scientists around the world. Vilaça has mature experience in leading R&D teams on fundamental science and support of industrial activities including the energy and aeronautic industry.

Pedro Vilaça has an h-index = 26 (Scopus), from a publication record including 102 scientific papers in international peer-reviewed journals, 18 papers in national journals, 1 book, 4 book chapters, and over 160 conference-related publications.