Biography

Susana Costa is assistant researcher at Centre for Social Studies - Associate Laboratory. In 1996 she had a BA in Sociology, School of Economics of University of Coimbra. She has a MA in Sociology (2001) and she has a PHd in Sociology (2010). Presently she is working on the research: "Inside - Characterization of the population inserted in the Portuguese DNA database and its impact in the efficiency of the criminal justice system and citizens' "rights (2021.02136.CEECIND/CP1698/CT0003) She is Lecturer on the Master of Criminology at University of Maia: Deviance, Crime, Control and Social Change; Orientation of Dissertation and Advanced Topics on Criminology. During the last years her research interests has been focused on the relations between science and law and the use of DNA in the aid of justice. She is member of the Ethics Commission of the Portuguese Sociological Association since April 2021. She is co-coordinator of the Research Group Risk(s), ecologies, health Member of the Directorate Board of Innocence Project (Portugal) Her researches have been focused in social studies of science, social studies of forensic genetics , sociology of science and sociology of law. She is author of two books: Costa, Susana "A Justiça em Laboratório", Almedina, 2003; Costa, Susana, "Filhos da (sua) mãe", Almedina (2012); and co-authored others, namely, Costa, Susana, Santos, Filipe e Ademar, Carlos, "Da cena de crime ao tribunal. Trajetórias e culturas forenses", Pactor, 2020, Costa, Susana and Helena Machado, "A ciência na luta contra o crime", Humus, 2012. She highlights the following papers recently published: Costa, Susana (2024), Tech-effect bottom-up e top-down: imaginários forenses e valores simbólicos da tecnologia de ADN nas unidades de policia técnica forense da PSP, Tecnociência e Sociedade. Sociologia do Conhecimento Ciência e Tecnologia em Portugal, coord. by Ana Raquel Matos, Maria Strecht and Pedro Xavier Mendonça, Imprensa ICS, ch. 3; Costa, Susana (2024). Da reflexão na ação ao conhecimento ilusório nas Unidades de Polícia Técnica Forense em Portugal, Horizontes Antropológicos, Volume: 30, Número: 68, https://doi.org/10.1590/1806-9983e680409 ; Santos, Filipe, Costa, Susana (2023). Crime in a prison cell: Epistemic Cultures and institutional neutrality in an inquisitorial setting, Crime, Media, Culture. DOI: 10.1177/17416590231196131; Duarte, Vera, Costa, Susana, Cardoso, Catarina, Soares Mariana (2023). Behaviors and Attitudes Towards Companion Animals During COVID-19: An Exploratory Study in Portugal, Animals and Society, DOI: 10.1163/15685306-BJA10138; Costa, Susana (2022). "DNA as 'ready-made evidence': An analysis of Portuguese judges' views", The International Journal of Evidence & Proof, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/13657127211070331