Biography

I am a PhD candidate in CES's PhD Programme in Human Rights in Contemporary Societies (since 2019), working on the project "Contesting the Borders of Human Rights: Migrants, Civil Society, and Participatory Governance in Portugal". My academic and professional trajectory lies at the intersection of human rights, migration, and participatory governance, combining legal expertise, political experience, and engaged research. I hold a five-year BA in Law (Universidade Moderna, Lisbon, 1997) and qualified as a lawyer through the Portuguese Bar Association (1997-1999). During this period, I trained at Rosendo Lawyers Rito & Associates, gained experience in Lisbon courts, and worked as a legal adviser at the Portuguese Association for Victim Support (APAV), supporting victims of crime. I later specialised in Human Rights and Humanitarian Intervention at the University of Bologna (2001-2). Within this framework, I led the project "Understanding Human Rights and Citizenship" in primary schools in Matutine, Mozambique, in collaboration with the United Nations Local Human Development Programme (UNPOS) and the University of Bologna. I also contributed as an external collaborator to the research project "Indigenous Identity" (University of Bologna and Amílcar Cabral Centre) and to the intercultural initiative "Altra Via" at Dozza Prison, working with Maghrebi detainees. In 2002-2003, I contributed to the project "Lake Worth for Global Justice", supporting the regularisation of South American migrant communities in Florida (USA). In 2003-4, I worked as a paralegal specialist at the University of the Azores (UAÇ), within the Office for the Promotion of Industrial Property (GAPI), in cooperation with the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) and regional and national authorities. From 2004 to 2008, I worked as a legal adviser within the Regional Network for the Support of Human Mobility, collaborating with NGOs such as Kairós - Cooperative for the Incubation of Solidarity Economy Initiatives - and the Regional Association for Rehabilitation and Sociocultural Integration of the Azores (ARRISCA). In this role, I contributed to developing social justice policies and defending human rights formigrant and refugee communities, individuals forcibly returned from the USA, and Canada, former prisoners undergoing social reintegration, and victims of gender- based on violence. Between 2008 and 2019, I served as a legal adviser to BE/Açores in the Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region of the Azores. In 2016, I was elected Member of Parliament for Bloco de Esquerda/Açores, gaining direct experience in legislative processes, public policy, and participatory governance. Alongside my professional and political engagement, I have pursued advanced academic training at institutions including the universities of Bologna, Lisbon, NOVA, Harvard, Coimbra, Fluminense, and Oxford. I have also participated in specialised programmes organised by the United Nations, the European Social Forum on Migration and the Portuguese National Defence Institute further strengthened my expertise in human rights, migration, humanitarian law, and citizenship.