PhD with international mention by the University of Huelva (Spain) in the Department of Sociology and Social Work. Full-time Social Work Associate Professor at ISCTE- University Institute of Lisbon teaching different courses at the bachelors, masters and PhD Social Work programs. He holds the position of Master's Program Director in Social Work. He is a Researcher at CIES-IUL and a collaborating researcher of the Socio-educational Intervention Group in Social Contexts at UNED (Spain). His areas of interest are linked to Immigration (Superdiversity, Interculturalism, Mixed Couples, and Cultural Heritage in Children); Social Work Education; Social Exclusion, Human Rights and Social Work; and Digital Social Work.

Elsa Justino, a Portuguese Social Worker, holds a PhD in Social Work, with a Master's degree and a degree in the same area. She's an assistant professor at the Department of Political Science and Public Policies at the University Institute of Lisbon (ISCTE-IUL) and an integrated research member at the Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology (CIES/Iscte - IUL). From 2019 to 2022, she was on the Board of the Hospital Center in the Portuguese region of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (CHTMAD). From 2016 to 2022, she was an Invited Professor at the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD). Among other leading positions, she was a University Administrator at the UTAD and Manager of the University Social Services (2008-2019), Head of Office of the Secretary of State for Employment and Vocational Training (2006-2008), Deputy Director of the Directorate General for Higher Education from 2002 to 2006 (Ministry of Science Technology and Higher Education) and Vice-President of the Student Support Fund (Ministry of Education) from 1998 to 2002.

PhD in Sociology, in Theory and Method. Full Professor in the Department of Social Research Methods at ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon. Director of School of Sociology and Public Policies. Director of the Postgraduate in Data Analysis in Social Sciences. Expert in methodological issues and quantitative data analysis. Senior researcher at the Center for the Research and Study of Sociology (CIES-ISCTE-IUL). Area of research is focused inside the quantitative and multivariate methods for categorical and quantitative variables, mainly methods of interdependence and dependence; multilevel models; longitudinal models; measurement models, mediation and moderation models; estimation with bootstrapping. She teaches several courses of multivariate statistics and advanced data analyses on Master and PhD Programs. She has coordinated research projects and she has participated in several research national and international projects, developing her skills of advanced data analysis with quantitative methods. She has published several books and several articles in Portugal and abroad.

Helena Belchior Rocha holds a PhD in Social Work, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Political Science and Public Policy and is an integrated researcher at CIES-ISCTE. From 2018 to 2025, she was Deputy Director of the Laboratory of Transversal Skills (LCT) (Soft Skills Lab) , from 2018 to 2025, Director of the LCT's Center for Transversal Skills, and from 2022 to 2025, Director of the LCT's Language Center. She has been involved in national and international projects, including three Marie Curie, Horizon projects, Erasmus and several Cost Actions. She has written articles, book chapters, and communications at national and international scientific events in the areas of Social Services theory and methodology, sustainability, community intervention, ethics, human rights, social policies and well-being, education, and transversal skills. She is a member of the editorial and scientific boards of national and international journals. Member of the Scientific Committee of the Department of Political Science and Public Policy and member of the Plenary Scientific Council of Iscte.

Inês Casquilho-Martins is a social worker with a Master's and PhD in Social Work. She is Assistant Professor at Iscte - University Institute of Lisbon and researcher at the Center for Research and Studies in Sociology at Iscte - University Institute of Lisbon (CIES-Iscte) and at the Lusíada Research Center on Social Work and Social Intervention (CLISSIS) - Lusíada University. Between 2019 and January 2024 she was Assistant Professor in the three cycles of study in Social Work at ISSSL - Universidade Lusíada, where she coordinated the Master's in Social Work and the research line "Teaching and Training in Social Work" at CLISSIS. Her research interests include different areas and fields of social work, social policies, social protection systems, social assistance, migration, community development and training skills in higher education. In this field, her research has focused on making contributions from her scientific area to the study of contemporary social problems and public policies in different areas of social protection. She also invests in the pedagogical and scientific promotion of social work training.  In 2019, she received the Silva Leal Prize, awarded by Iscte - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa and the Secretary of State for Social Security for her doctoral thesis in Social Work “Models of social protection in societies with austerity programs”.  She was Online Learning's technical and pedagogical coordinator for the promotion, preparation, production and dissemination of iscte e-learning courses (2017-2019). 

Joana Azevedo is an associate professor at the Department of Sociology, School of Sociology and Public Policy of ISCTE-IUL and integrated research fellow at the Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology (CIES-IUL) since 2008. She holds a PhD in Social Theory and Research from the Department of Sociology and Communication Sciences of the University La Sapienza in Rome (2007), with a doctoral grant for studies abroad from the Portuguese national science foundation - FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia). She is postgraduated in Data Analysis in Social Sciences (2010) and graduated in Sociology (2001) from the ISCTE-IUL. She is currently member of the Observatories of Communication (OberCom) and Emigration (OEm). She was postdoctoral fellow at CIES-IUL with a postdoctoral grant from the FCT (2008-2014). Since 2011-2012 she has been teaching at ISCTE-IUL in the fields of communication sciences, sociology and social science research methods. She’s member of the Scientific Commitee of the PhD Programme in Comunication Sciences. She also teaches at the European Master's Programme Erasmus Mundus MFamily.

Jorge Ferreira, Associate Professor with Aggregation at Iscte - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa. Aggregation in January 2024, on "Questioning Social Work as a Social Science" "Training/research in Social Work". PhD in Social Work in the speciality of Social Work, Social Policies and Society, (Approved with Distinction and Praise) carried out in association between ISCTE/ISSSL, on the theme: Social Work and Child Welfare Models. Modus Operandi of the Social Worker in Promoting Child and Family Protection. Master's Degree in Social Work on the theme: Social Intervention and Judicial Intervention in the Problem of Abused Children. Relation and/or Intersection (ISSSL:1998), after graduating in Social Work (ISSSL: 1990). Completed a postgraduate course at the Instituto Superior de Psicologia Aplicada - History of Ideas and Major Doctrines in Criminology (ISPA: 1993), attended year zero "Systemic Approach" of the Family Therapy course (Associação Portuguesa de terapia Familiar: 1997), took the Pedagogical Aptitude and Scientific Capacity tests (ISSSL: 2000) on the subject of Mediation and Social Intervention in Justice. Further practical training after graduation abroad, in Psychiatric Rehabilitation at the Waterheuvel Foundation, Amsterdam / Holland (1993), in Psychiatric Rehabilitation at the Société Parisiene d'aide á lá Santé mental - SPASM .Paris (1993); Reintegration and Professional Integration at the Scottish Association for mental health . Scotland (1994). Participation in research programmes and projects in the areas of the Transfer of Action profiles, training, for the development of the helping relationship with people in situations of abandonment (Children, Adolescents); Social Work in Europe. Comparative Model in Romance Languages and in the fields of the Child Protection System; Children's Rights, Social Policies for Children and Social Intervention with Families. He has published 13 scientific articles and several papers at national and international seminars and conferences. He is a contributor to the Katálisis magazine (a biannual magazine that circulates in Spanish-speaking countries and Portugal and is aimed at social workers and professionals in related areas, teachers and researchers). Professor of different curricular units at 1st and 2nd cycle level. Visiting Professor at the Complutense University of Madrid (Escuela de Trabajo Social) and the University of Granada (Escuela de Trabajo Social), collaborator with higher education institutions in Portugal (Instituto Universitário de Lisboa. ISCTE) and in the scientific cooperation programmes of lecturers at the Lusíada University of Lisbon (Instituto Politécnico da Guarda, Instituto Politécnico de Beja, Universidade dos Açores). In 2009, Accredited External Evaluator for New Opportunities. Member of the Jury for the Public Administration's 2nd level middle manager competition. Pedagogical and scientific coordinator and teacher of the Technological Specialisation Course (CET) "Reception in Institutions". (2008/2010). Several participations in the Socrates Erasmus Programme (teacher mobility) with European universities: Complutense de Madrid Spain, University of Kalmar Sweden, University of Mastrich, Netherlands, Bicocca University Milan Italy and University of Granada Spain. Stradinsk University Letavia. Scientific Areas of Training: Theory and Methodology of Social Work, Critical Theory and Social Work, Research in Social Work, Seminars in Social Work Practice, Evaluation of Social Policy Programmes, International Social Work; Research Methodologies, Specific Intervention Methodologies in Social Gerontology, Social Intervention in Situations of Risk, Social Intervention with Abusive Families, Network Intervention, Deviant Behaviours, Introduction to Criminology and Victimology.

Maria Inês Amaro is PhD in Social Work and MA in Communication, Culture and Information Technology. Professor at the bachelor, master and doctorate in Social Work at University Institute of Lisbon. She co-ordinated Social Work bachelor and master degree at Catholic University of Portugal. Supervises master and PhD dissertations and thesis in Social Work. She is researcher at the CIES-IUL, Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology and reviewer of UCE (Catholic University Press) for Social Work publications. She founding member of the European Association for Social Work Research was part of the host committee for the 6th European Conference for Social Work Research (Lisbon, 2016). Has research interests in the areas of theory and practice of Social Work, Social Policy and Social Work, Society and Technology and Labour and Social Exclusion. Consultant in the area of social planning and evaluation. Author of books, chapters and articles in the above-mentioned fields. Since 2019, commissioner at the Institute of Social Security, where is Head of Social Development Department, with national responsibilities over the impkmentation and development of public policy in the fields of children and youth, cooperation with third sector and charities, and social intervention. President of the National Commission of the National System for Child Early intervention; of the National Council for Adoption (years 2024-2026); evaluation jury for Programa Escolhas (projects to prevent and combat youth delinquency), 2023 edition; is member of the National Council of Cooperation; Single Operational Group, for the reception of asylum-seekers; of the National Council for Migrations; of the Commission for Inclusive Policies for People with Disabilities; of the executive group for the Implementation, Monitoring and Assessment of the National Strategy for the Integration of People Experiencing Homelessness, and, among others,of the Follow-up Commission of the National Strategy for Fighting Poverty; is the national oficial link to civil protection.

Maria João Pena holds a PhD in Social Work, MA in Sociology and bachelor degree in Social Work.  Professor at bachelor, master and doctorate program in Social Work. She is a researcher in CIES-IUL (Centre for research and studies in Sociology). The research interests are in Theory and Epistemology of social work , social work practices with children and families, at school and in disability.

Renato Miguel do Carmo is an associate professor (with habilitation) at the Department of Sociology of ISCTE - University Institute of Lisbon and research fellow at the Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology (CIES-IUL), Portugal. He is Director of the Inequality Observatory  and participates in the scientific coordination of COLABOR. Issues such as social and spatial inequalities, welfare state, employment and labor market, public policy, mobilities and social capital have been at the core of his research projects. His  publications have appeared in Current Sociology, European Societies, Journal of Civil Society, Sociologia Ruralis, Time & Society, Sociological Research Online, Geoforum, Community Development, European Planning Studies, Journal of Labor and Society, and others. He has published 37 books (24 as editor and 13 as author or co-author), five of them published by international publishing houses (Bristol University Press, Berghahn, Palgrave, Springer, Annablume). Since obtaining PhD, he has received several scientific awards such as: João Ferreira de Almeida Award 2023 (1st edition); António Dornelas Award 2022; CIES-Iscte I&D Awards 2022; awarded with the ISCTE-IUL prizes for one of best international articles published in 2011, 2015, 2016 and 2019; award to the best article in the field of regional studies published in Portuguese journals in 2008 (Portuguese Association for Regional Development, APDR); special Prize of the Jury 2009 for the best article published in the journal Análise Social by a young researcher.