Born in Luanda, Angola, in 1959. Holds a BA (1983) and a PhD (2001) in Sociology by ISCTE-IUL. Full Professor at the Department of Sociology of ISCTE-IUL and Senior Researcher of CIES-IUL.  Former Vice-Rector for Research of ISCTE-IUL (2014-2018). Former member of the General Council of ISCTE-IUL (2013-2018). Former Director of CIES-IUL (2006-2014). Former Director of the Doctoral Program in Sociology (2011-2014). Founder and former Director of Mundos Sociais publisher (2010-2014). Long record of research and publication on social classes and inequalities; migration and ethnicity; youth; sociology of sociology; economic and cultural value of the Portuguese language. Supervised or co-supervised 14 doctoral thesis and 31 master dissertations. Started a professional career at the Instituto de Estudos para o Desenvolvimento (1984-1986) and entered ISCTE-IUL as Assistente Estagiário in 1985. Research Assistant at the Institute for Social Sciences, Lisbon University (1987-1989).

Associate Professor of the Department of Sociology in ISCTE-IUL (since 2020). Lecturer in the Doctoral Programmes of Sociology (ISCTE-IUL, since 2006), Urban Studies (FCSH-UNL/ISCTE-IUL, 2016-7), and Social Work (ISCTE-IUL, 2004-5). Lecturer (since 2006) and director (2009-2022) in the Master Programme of Sociology in ISCTE-IUL. Lecturer in the Graduation Programmes of Sociology (since 1994) and OGE  (1991-4) in ISCTE-IUL, and Environment Engineering in Instituto Superior Técnico (1997-9). Member of the Council for the Coordination of the Internationalization of Iscte-IUL (since 2020). Alternate member of the Scientific Commission (since 2022), vice-director (2013-6) and member of the Executive Commission (1995-8) of the Department of Sociology ISCTE-IUL. Member of the Scientific Commissions of the Doctoral Programme in Sociology (since 2006) and Social Work  (ISCTE-IUL, 2007-8), and of the Master Programme in Social Sciences (ISCTE-Instituto Politécnico de Viseu, 2003-6). Member of the Commission for the Evaluation of the Activity of the Researchers in the field of Communication and Culture (since 2021), President of the General Assembly of the Cooperative (2012-2023), member of the Scientific Council (since 1998), co-coordination of the research area of Inequalities, Migrations and Territory (2006-2022), member of the Executive Board of the Cooperative (2006-12), member of the Executive Board (1998-2000; 1995-8) and integrated researcher at CIES-IUL (since 1987). Member of the Executive Board (1998-2000) and researcher at OBSERVA - Observatory of the Environment, Society and Public Opinion (1997-2001). Researcher at Centre of Philosophy of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (2005-6). Member of the Executive Board (1991-3) and researcher at Centre for Territorial Studies CET-IUL (1991-2005). Research scholarships at the Institute of Social Sciences (1990-1), the Permanent Observatory of University Students (1989-90), and the National Board for Scientific and Technological Research (JNICT) (1988-9). Researcher at Nucleus for Urban and Territorial Studies CIES-IUL (1987-91).  Collaboration in 59 research projects and studies, 32 as coordinator. Participation in 23 books, 25 scientific articles, 21 papers in scientific congress acts, and 98 oral communications in scientific events.  Member of the Editorial Council (since 2003) and the Editorial Board (1993-2018) of the journal Sociologia, Problemas e Práticas. Member of the Deontological Board (2006-10), the General Assembly (1994-8), the Coordination Commission of the Professional Field (1991-4), and associate (since 1988) of the Portuguese Sociological Association. Member of the International Sociological Association, and the European Urban Knowledge Network. Collaboration with diverse universities in Portugal and other countries, namely with University of Cabo Verde, Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia, University of Stellenbosch, State University of St. Petersburg, Universidad de Las Palmas, and University of South Australia.

Maria das Dores Guerreiro, Ph.D. in Sociology. Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at ISCTE-Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL). Vice-Rector for Internationalization. Erasmus Institutional coordinator. Member of the Scientific Committee of the Department of Sociology (2016-2019). Coordinator of the Family, Generations and Health research group at CIES, until 2019. International Coordinator of the Erasmus Mundus MFAMILY Consortium, in partnership with the universities of Gotheborg-Sweden, Stavanger-Norway and Makerere-Uganda (2012-2019). Co-coordinator of the Observatory of Families and Family Policies until 2017. National representative of the European Network Families and Work (1994-2000). Deputy Director of the Department of Sociology (2010-2013). Editor of the journal Sociologia, Problemas e Práticas (2001-2017). Research areas: Sociology of the Family; Gender Studies; Generations, Social Trajectories and Life Course; Social Policies and Family Policies; Work & Family; Family Business and Entrepreneurship.

Patrícia Ávila (patricia-avila@iscte.pt). PhD and Master Degree in Sociology. Associate Professor at Iscte at the Department of Social Research Methods of the School of Sociology and Public Policies. Integrated Researcher at CIES-Iscte. Director of the Doctoral Programme in Sociology (CIES e Iscte). Coordinator of the Research Group 'Knowledge Society, Competencies and Communication', at CIES-Iscte. She has participated in several research projects on different themes, with particular emphasis on literacy and reading, competencies, adult education, science and society, and social research methods She is the author of several articles and books.  

Rita Cachado, PhD in Urban Anthropology (International PhD Program ISCTE Lisbon/URV Tarragon, 2008) with a Thesis about a Hindu population in Great Lisbon and their housing conditions in an informal settlement which was living a rehousing process. She developed a long duration ethnographic field work with Hindu families in Lisbon, and other urban settings, allowing the acquisition of a diversity of methodologic skills. Presently, she is integrated researcher at CIES-IUL where she develops her research about Urban Ethnography in Portugal; she is an invited teacher in Field Research and Urban Ethnography courses (coordinated by Professor Graça Cordeiro); and is a member of the Board of the Portuguese Association of Anthropology (APA). 

Rui Pena Pires is a professor at ISCTE-IUL, where he completed his BA, MC, and PhD in Sociology, and is a researcher at CIES-IUL. He has been the scientific coordinator of the Portuguese Emigration Observatory (Observatório da Emigração) since 2009. Formerly, he was the head of the Department of Sociology and Pro-Vice-Rector at ISCTE-IUL. From 2007 to 2010 he was a member of the Management Board of the Fundamental Rights Agency (FRA) of the European Union (EU). His research interests include sociological theory, international migration and sociology of development. He is author of several publications, including the book Migrações e Integração: Teoria e Aplicações à Sociedade Portuguesa (Migration and Integration: Theory and Applications to the Study of Portuguese Society) (Celta 2003) and Atlas da Emigração Portuguesa (Atlas of Portuguese Emigration) (Mundos Sociais, 2023).