Current Grad Students

University of Coimbra (2020 - )

PhD Students

PhD Program in Social-Cultural Anthropology, DCV, FCTUC

Raoni Lourenço ARRAES

PhD Project Title: “O ofício do fotógrafo. Etnografia digital e experiência artística dos fotógrafos em Belém (Pará), Brasil” (The Métier of the Photographer. Digital Ethnography and Artistic Experience of Photographers in Belém (Pará), Brasil)

Role: Supervisor

Keywords: Fotografia; Cinema Documental; Amazónia; Antropoceno; Etnografia Digital; Antropologia Multi-Modal

Raoni L. ARRAES – Bionote TBA

Ernst LORETO

PhD Project Title: “A ontologia analogista nas pinturas de paisagem chinesas” (The Analogist Ontology in Chinese Landscape Paintings) 

Keywords: Shanshui (山水); Analogism; Landscape; Anthropology of Nature

Role: Supervisor

Ernst LORETO is a PhD student and holds a Master’s degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology by the University of Coimbra, and a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy by the University of São Paulo. Currently he is a Junior Researcher in the Research Cluster “Technoscience, Society and Environment” at CIAS – Research Centre for Anthropology and Health. He has also been a collaborator at the international network Sci-Tech Asia. His research focuses on the intersections between the Anthropology of Nature, Anthropology of Figuration and Chinese Studies.

Andrea DAPRA

PhD Project Title: TBA

Role: Co-Supervisor

Keywords: TBA

HUANG Huiyi

PhD Project Title: “Birth activism in China: the unmaking and remaking of childbirth care”

Role: Supervisor

Keywords: Childbirth Medicalization; Birth Activism; Anthropology of Good; Social Transformation; Birth Organization; China studies

HUANG Huiyi holds a master’s degree in Development Studies from the City University of Hong Kong and is currently a PhD student in Social-Cultural Anthropology at the University of Coimbra. She is interested in woman-centered collective actions and negotiations aimed at shaping the process of childbirth medicalization. Her doctoral project is to analyse the recent emergence of birth organizations in China, including their values and their models of birth care. This topic is relatively new in the Chinese context and the project’s overall orientation is aligned with birth activists, feminists, and birth care workers in justifying Michel Odent’s words “to change the world, we must first change the way babies are being born.” Currently, Huiyi is a Junior Researcher in the Research Cluster “Technoscience, Society and Environment” at CIAS – Research Centre for Anthropology and Health, University of Coimbra. She is also a Research Assistant at the Sci-Tech Asia International Research Network. Huiyi is also a filmmaker and is currently working on a short documentary film about Chinese midwives working in rural areas. The film is about the working lives and experiences of rural midwives, building on a previous oral history research project that sought to recognize their contribution to society.

Inês SUBTIL

PhD Project Title: TBA

Role: Co-Supervisor

Keywords: TBA

Luís VALE

PhD Project Title: “Novas Ruralidades em Trás-os-Montes: Dinâmicas e Processos, Repovoamento e Políticas Territoriais, no século XXI” (New Ruralities in Trás-os-Montes: Dynamics and Processes, Repopulation and Territorial Policies in the 21st Century)

Role: Supervisor

Keywords: Heritage; Tourism; Certification; Territory; Critical Agrarian Studies

Luís VALE is a social and cultural anthropologist with extensive research and fieldwork experience in rural Portugal. He is the author of the monograph “Nomeadas Colectivas em Trás-Os-Montes. Património em metáforas de identidade, diferenciação e tradução cultural” (Edições Humus, 2024), among other publications. He holds a postgraduate degree in Cultural Studies, a master’s degree in Cultural Heritage, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Social-Cultural Anthropology at the University of Coimbra. He worked as a higher education lecturer and is currently a Junior Researcher at the Research Centre for Anthropology and Health (CIAS), University of Coimbra. His research explores questions of social transformation in the region of Trás-os-Montes (Northern Portugal), with a particular focus on issues of identity, memory, popular religiosity, oral tradition, heritage, and new ruralities. His doctoral thesis will explore the new realities in rural landscapes in Northern Portugal, specifically examining the processes of heritage-making, tourism, and certification of regional products, which lead to the development of new routines, habits, and consumption patterns in these areas. Outside academia, he works at times as a consultant for organizations and businesses. 

Luiz Gustavo ALVES

PhD Project Title: “Coleções, restituições e reparação: Um estudo comparativo entre o Museu Nacional (UFRJ) no Brasil e o Museu da Ciência (UC) em Portugal” (Collections, Restitutions, and Reparations: A Comparative Study Between the National Museum (UFRJ) in Brazil and the Science Museum (UC) in Portugal)

Role: Co-Supervisor

Keywords: Afro-heritage; Museums; Reparations

Luiz Gustavo ALVES is a PhD candidate in Anthropology at the University of Coimbra in Portugal. He has a Master’s degree in History from the Graduate Program in History at the Universidade Federal Fluminense (PPGH/UFF), Brazil, where he also completed his undergraduate degree in History. His research focuses on restitutions, repatriations, and other processes and activities related to historical reparations in the field of African heritage. He has an interest in museums, material culture, social memory, and African heritage.

Roberto HALLAL

PhD Project Title: “Experiences of vulnerability and resilience in Lisbon: Ethnography, narratives, and survival practices among dyads of homeless people and dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) in the municipality of Lisbon” 

Role: Co-Supervisor

Keywords: Guardian-dog Dyads; Multi-species Anthropology; Affiliative Relationships; Homeless People; Companion Animals of Homeless People

Roberto HALLAL is a PhD student in Social-Cultural Anthropology at the University of Coimbra, studying the relationship between humans and dogs, with a societal focus on homeless people who live with dogs on the streets of Lisbon, an innovative topic in the field of Multispecies Anthropology in Portugal. He considers himself a dog person (Haraway, 2003) and sees himself as an “involved” anthropologist. His interest and passion for Environmental Anthropology, specifically in the area of multispecies, is shaped by these personal experiences. He has obtained three higher education degrees, including a Master Degree in Anthropology from the University of Lisbon. He is a good communicator and a reliable team worker. He has significant experience as a volunteer in social projects in Mexico and Brazil.  Currently, he is a Junior Researcher in the Research Cluster “Technoscience, Society and Environment” at CIAS – Research Centre for Anthropology and Health.

DENG Kehui

PhD Project Title: “Social Reproduction, Urban inequality, and Paid Filial Piety: Life Experiences of Care Workers in Chinese Nursing Homes” 

Role: Supervisor 

Keywords: Care; China Studies; Feminism; Aging; Social Reproduction 

Kehui DENG holds a Master’s degree in Sinology from the University of Freiburg and is currently pursuing a PhD in Social-Cultural Anthropology at the University of Coimbra. Her academic interests center on feminism, social inequality, and care. Her doctoral research examines the lived experiences of care workers in state-owned nursing homes in urban China. Kehui is a Junior Researcher at the Research Centre for Anthropology and Health (CIAS) at the University of Coimbra and a Research Assistant for the Sci-Tech Asia International Research Network.

Nadine LOBNER

PhD Project Title: “Material Representations, Social Networks and Worldviews of the Ecumene: The Building of the EU and ASEAN as International Regions” 

Keywords: Ecumene; Beyond-Border Conviviality; Contact Zones; Cultural Translations; International Regions

Role: Co-Supervisor

Nadine LOBNER is a PhD Candidate of Social and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Coimbra. She holds a Bachelor Degree in Social and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Vienna with a special focus on epistemological violence and bilateral relations; and a Master’s degree within the same discipline (University of Lisbon – ISCSP) in an interdisciplinary framework with international relations, researching global interrelations through local perspectives through the case study of Timor-Leste. She has been an active research fellow of the EU-H2020 project CRISEA (Competing Regional Integration of Southeast Asia), investigating the membership of Timor-Leste to ASEAN within a geopolitical global-local framework. Her current project concerns contemporary Ecumenes in the making, investigating beyond-border conviviality patterns that merge into a new global social structure. 

Ana Isabel PÁDUA

 

PhD Project Title: “Perspectivas de desenvolvimento no quotidiano feminino na ilha do Príncipe” (Development Perspectives in the Daily Life of Women in Príncipe Island)

Role: Supervisor

Keywords: Women; Development; Sustainability; Post-Colonialism 

Ana Isabel PÁDUA is currently pursuing a PhD in Social and Cultural Anthropology at the University of Coimbra. She has a solid training in the social sciences and is very interested in social movements and community interventions. Her academic training began with a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations at the University of Coimbra. Shen then obtained a Postgraduate Degree in Management of Development Cooperation Projects from the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, and, more recently, a Master’s degree in Community Intervention from the Escola Superior de Educação de Paula Frassinetti. Her Master’s dissertation focused on the Portuguese rural context and in particular on children’s role in community well-being. She is interested in alternative models to international and community development, sustainability, and rurality, with an emphasis on feminist and post-colonial perspectives. Her PhD project will explore some of these issues through the lens of women’s daily lives and struggles in Príncipe island, São Tomé and Príncipe. 

ZHAO Zihan

PhD Project Title: “From caregiver to care recipient: Challenges Faced by Senior Rural Women in the Context of Family-based Elder Care in Sichuan”

Role: Supervisor

Keywords: China studies; Rural studies; Gender; Elderly Care; Kinship 

ZHAO Zihan is a social-cultural anthropologist specialised in China. She completed her undergraduate studies in Chinese language and Literature at Sichuan University, China. She obtained a master’s degree in Chinese Language & Culture from the National University of Singapore, Singapore. Currently, she is a Junior Researcher in the Research Cluster “Technoscience, Society and Environment” at CIAS – Research Centre for Anthropology and Health, University of Coimbra(UC). She is also a Research Assistant at the Sci-Tech Asia International Research Network. She is interested in questions of kinship, gender and family in contemporary China, with a particular focus on elderly care in rural areas.

PhD Students

PhD Program in Architecture, DA, FCTUC

Sílvia COSTA

PhD Project Title: “(Re)habi(li)tar a Aldeia Comum. Situação, Práticas e Futuro no Baixo Mondego” ((Re-)Habi(li)tate the Common Village. Situation, Practices and Future in the Lower Mondego Region)

Role: Co-Supervisor

Keywords: Participative Rehabilitation; Village Architecture; Housing; Sustainable Development

Sílvia COSTA (Figueira da Foz, 1981) graduated in Architecture (2006), holds a master’s degree in Energy for Sustainability (2011), and is currently a PhD student in Architecture, all at the University of Coimbra. She works at the Municipality of Soure and aims, through her research, to contribute to the urban conservation strategies of the local administration.

Master Students

Master Program in Anthropology, Globalization and Climate Change, DCV, FCTUC

Andreia TEIXEIRA

Master’s Project Title: “Sexo e Contraceção. Responsabilidades contracetivas no trabalho sexual em Portugal” (Sex and Contraception. Contraceptive responsibilities in sex work in Portugal) 

Role: Supervisor

Keywords: Sex Work; Contraceptive Responsibility; Sexually Transmitted Infections; Anthropology of Sex; Medical Anthropology; Feminist Studies 

Andreia TEIXEIRA has a BA degree in Anthropology and is currently enrolled in the Master’s degree program in Anthropology, Globalization and Climate Change at the University of Coimbra. She is also an Associate Researcher of the Research Cluster “Technoscience, Society and Environment” at the Research centre for Anthropology and Health, University of Coimbra. She is currently doing fieldwork and writing her master’s dissertation on issues related to sex work and contraceptive responsibility.

Elodie LEVERGHEM

Master’s Project Title:  “Inovando a indústria têxtil através da reciclagem de sobras de peixe” (Innovating the Textile Industry through Fish By-Products Recycling)

Role: Supervisor

Keywords: Sustainability, Fish By-Products, Recycling, Circular Economy, Sustainable Fashion

Elodie LEVERGHEM holds a BA degree in Anthropology from the University of Coimbra. She is currently developing her master’s thesis titled “Innovating the Textile Industry through Fish By-Products Recycling,” a project that explores sustainability and innovation in the fashion industry. Her research focuses on the use of fishery by-products as a sustainable alternative for textile materials, with the aim of promoting more ecological and circular practices in fashion. Her area of interest is centred around the environment, with particular emphasis on sustainability, recycling, and the development of innovative solutions for waste management. Additionally, she is active in social movements and volunteering, aligning her academic work with environmental and social values. 

João Silva OLIVEIRA

Master’s Project Title: TBA

Role: Supervisor

Keywords: urban development; participatory planning; social justice; urban studies

João Silva OLIVEIRA was born in Vila Nova de Gaia and studied Anthropology in Coimbra. He is currently enrolled in the Master’s degree program in Anthropology, Globalization and Climate Change at the University of Coimbra and is actively involved in social and civic movements. He is writing a dissertation about questions of urban planning, social justice and the Right to the City, using his home city as a case study to rethink the political ties that urbanites everywhere create with the territory they inhabit.

 

Jorge VAZ

Master’s Project Title: “Os dilemas morais dos cientistas portugueses na vanguarda da revolução de tecnologias de edição genética” (The moral quandaries of Portuguese scientists at the forefront of the genetic editing technology revolution)

Role: Supervisor

Keywords: Genetic Technology; Gene Therapies; Biosociality; Bioethics; STS 

Jorge VAZ obtained his BA degree in Anthropology at the University of Coimbra and is now enrolled in the Master’s program of Anthropology, Globalization and Climate Change of the same university. His research project is one of the first ethnographic accounts of the moral dilemmas and perspectives of scientists working at the forefront of the genetic editing technology revolution in Portugal. This project explores how the scientific community in Portugal understands and anticipates the impact of genetic editing technologies, analysing their biosocial, ethical, and legal implications, as well as their potential to shape societal futures.

Lilian Mishel Almeida SAÁ

Master’s Project Title: “Desastre ambiental e mineração do ouro na Amazónia Equatoriana: Ecofeminismo e as lutas das mulheres indígenas face ao extrativismo capitalista”

Role: Supervisor

Keywords: Extractivist Capitalism; indigenous Women; Ecofeminism

Lilian Mishel Almeida SAÁ is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in Anthropology, Globalization, and Climate Change at the University of Coimbra. With a deep passion for sustainability and environmental protection, her professional background began in Energy and Environmental Engineering, where she researched innovative ways to remediate contaminated water using microalgae. Over the years, she has built a career that led her to work on sustainability reports, environmental education campaigns, audits, and certification processes, both in Ecuador and in Portugal. Her collaboration with the Ministry of Environment of Ecuador in the conservation of native forests was a formative experience, reinforcing her commitment to nature preservation. In 2013, she was a finalist in the Eco-Challenge Awards with the project “Yaku Kawsay (Água Viva),” an initiative that aimed to promote sustainability through efficient water management, an issue that has always been close to her heart. She is currently working on a project about the effects of gold mining in the Ecuadorian Amazon as part of her Master’s studies. Focusing on ecofeminist issues, she explores the struggles of indigenous women against capitalist extractivism, an area that deeply motivates her. Her work, full of dedication, reflects a genuine commitment to finding solutions to current environmental problems, always with a strong focus on environmental justice and gender issues. For her, each project is an opportunity to contribute to a more just and sustainable world.

Lívia HUMAIRE

Master’s Project Title: TBA

Role: Supervisor

Keywords: TBA

Lívia HUMAIRE

Tiago CALADO

Master’s Project Title: TBA

Role: Supervisor

Keywords: TBA

Tiago CALADO