Pedro Vasconcelos completed his graduation in Sociology (Licentiate degree) in 1995 at Iscte - University Institute of Lisbon, his Research Master's Degree in Social Sciences in 2002 at the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon, and his Doctorate in Sociology at Iscte in 2011 (all Pre-Bologna Process). He teaches at graduate and post-graduate levels since 1996 at Iscte. Since 1992 he has participated in several research projects about issues such as categorization processes, social representations and identities, family and social class, generations and values, family and youth, sexuality, social networks, kinship, social inequalities, gender and transgender issues. Presently his main interests are about social and sociological theory, social inequality and multidimensionality, gender, class and racialization/ethnicity. 

  João Sebastião, sociologist, PhD in Sociology. Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science and Public Policies at ISCTE-University Institute of Lisbon and researcher at the Center for Research and Studies in Sociology-IUL (CIES-IUL), where he was director between 2014 and 2020. His main research areas are social inequalities in education, educational policies and school violence. In convergence with the research in sociology of education worked as expert in the area of school violence for different national and international institutions (OECD, EU, Council of Europe; or as developer and Coordinator of the School Safety Observatory of the Portuguese Ministry of Education, among others). At CIES maintains a line of work of applied science on programs about school success and early school leaving, class dimension, school violence and municipal educational plans, cooperating with schools, local authorities or NGOs.  

Associate Professor (with Habilitation) of the Department of Sociology in ISCTE-IUL. 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), member of the Commission for the Evaluation of Applications (since 2023), 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 Nucleous for Studies on Disability of ISCTE-IUL (since 2023). 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 (2012-2024), 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.

Sociologist. Associate Professor at Iscte–University Institute of Lisbon (School of Sociology and Public Policy, Department of Sociology). Director of the ISCTE Soft Skills Lab (LCT-Iscte) and Chair of the Scientific Committee for Special Admission Routes to the Iscte University. Integrated researcher at CIES-Iscte, where she co-coordinates the Research Group on Inequalities, Work and Well-being. Her research focuses on social inequalities, social classes, and living standards, addressing emerging issues such as the trajectories and agency of higher education students, adults living alone, and older people in ageing societies. She has also contributed to the analysis of Welfare State reconfiguration, particularly in the domains of education and labour. In these contexts, she has coordinated and participated in national and international projects and consultancies, engaging in plural, interdisciplinary and intergenerational teams. As a lecturer, she has continuously invested in pedagogical innovation and in strengthening the connection between theory, methodology and empirical research practices. Mentoring and tutoring are a core dimension of her academic path, both through teaching and collegial cooperation, and through the design of innovative support mechanisms for students. In academic management, as Director of the ISCTE Soft Skills Lab and responsible for special admission routes – notably for Mature Students (23+) and Graduates from Professional Pathways – she has promoted comprehensive mentoring and tutoring programmes and developed innovative monitoring systems to prevent academic failure and dropout.   Her trajectory is further reinforced by active civic engagement and knowledge dissemination, through participation in associations, trade union activity and civil society initiatives, at both national and international levels.

Maria João Lima has a PhD in Sociology  by Iscte - University Institute of Lisbon. She holds a Master's degree in Ethnomusicology and a Bachelor's degree in Musicology (FCSH-UNL). She was a research assistant  at INET-MD-Instituto de Etnomusicologia Música e Dança (1995-2000) and at OAC - Cultural Activities Observatory (2001-2013). Her research is mainly focused on cultural policies, cultural audiences and cultural expressive practices. She is currently part of the research team of the Portuguese Observatory of Cultural Activities (https://www.opac.cies.iscte-iul.pt/).

Professor Nuno Nunes, Iscte-University Institute of Lisbon Key-Expertise: inequality, collective action, well-being, development, elites, and digital society. Homepage: https://ciencia.iscte-iul.pt/authors/nuno-nunes/cv With a Ph.D. in Sociology (since 2011), my thesis was about Social Inequalities and Collective Action in Europe. First and after my doctorate, I was a Researcher at the Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology (CIES-Iscte), but since 2018 I have also become Professor at Iscte-University Institute of Lisbon, one of the most prestigious Portuguese universities. Currently, I am teaching “Contemporary Social Inequalities”, “Sociology of Development”, “Sociology of Globalisation”, “Work, Organisations and Technology”, and “Introduction to Sociology”. I have been mainly working on the themes of inequality, class, collective action, and well-being. Today's world is much better understood from the perspective of social inequalities, which continue to decisively mark the lives of people, institutions, and societies. My scientific objectives are precisely to contribute to the strengthening of theoretical, analytical, and empirical instruments capable of understanding their multidimensionality, mechanisms, and intersections. There are multiple social phenomena influenced by inequalities, social classes, and social stratification processes and it is in this sense that I have developed my work, seeking to understand how social inequalities influence collective action and the well-being of citizens. My research has followed the approach that inequality processes are increasingly global, but that national and intra-national scales remain equally relevant. I have published 20 articles, 5 Books, 27 Book Chapters, 13 Working Papers, and 8 Proceedings of Scientific Meetings, 28 of them with internationally recognized scope. My articles have appeared in European Societies, Journal of Civil Society, Education Sciences, Sensors, Portuguese Journal of Social Science, Sociologia, Problemas e Práticas, European Journal of Engineering and Formal Sciences, Sociologia On Line, and Sociologia. I am participating or have participated in 25 research projects, 9 of them international, and 13 under my coordination (3 national coordination of international projects and 10 national projects). My research has been funded by FCT – Foundation of Science and Technology, the European Union (Horizon Europe and Horizon 2020), the Spanish National Research Council, Portuguese foundations, Portuguese municipalities, and NGOs. I have participated in 142 conferences, 63 international and 44 as a keynote speaker.  I have organized 27 scientific events, 10 of them international. I belong to the international network “International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies”. Between 2016-2023, I was the team coordinator in charge of the National Research Stream ‘Social Classes, Inequalities, and Public Policies’ of the Portuguese Sociological Association (APS). Currently, I supervise Ph.D. and master thesis on the subjects of social inequalities, class, elites, collective action, social cohesion, welfare, and digital divides.  I am a National Adviser for Horizon Europe, Coordinator of the Thematic Line “Digital Transformation” of the SocioDigital Lab for Public Policy, Member of the General Council of Iscte and the Editorial Board of “Sociologia, Problemas e Práticas” [Sociology, Problems, and Practices], and Subdirector of the Publisher “Mundos Sociais” [Social Worlds].

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.   

Rodrigo Vieira de Assis is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Research Methods at Iscte – University Institute of Lisbon and an Integrated Researcher at the Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology (CIES-Iscte). He is currently a member of the Pedagogical Council of Iscte and of the Pedagogical Committee of the School of Sociology and Public Policy (ESPP). He also serves as an alternate member of the Ethics Council of the Portuguese Sociological Association (APS). Throughout his career, he has participated in national and international research projects developed in institutions across different countries (e.g., Portugal, Brazil, United States). His recent publications have focused on issues related to social inequalities, labour precariousness, everyday life in urban peripheries, and youth sociability dynamics in socially vulnerable contexts. His current research interests include the dynamics of social inequality reproduction, the socio-political attitudes of social classes, and the relationship between labour precariousness and social protection gaps. He is committed to analysing social phenomena across multiple scales: at the micro level, he explores social trajectories, life narratives and processes of individuation, seeking to understand experiences, perceptions and everyday practices; at the macro level, he investigates the reproduction of social inequalities, as well as patterns, trends and structural changes in attitudes, perceptions and practices within stratified societies. Methodologically, he privileges multifaceted approaches, guided by both intensive and extensive research designs, including mixed methods. His experience encompasses studies based on questionnaire surveys, interview-based surveys, participant observation and urban ethnographies, applying a wide range of quantitative and qualitative methods supported by specialised software (SPSS, JAMOVI, MAXQDA, among others). Consequently, he has also been dedicated to methodological innovation in the social sciences, through the design and teaching of courses and modules, as well as the development of publications aimed at improving and disseminating best practices in the use of quantitative and qualitative methods for data analysis in sociology.