I am a sociologist and researcher with interdisciplinary interests and experience, and expertise in the field of Sociology of Personal and Intimate Lives, at the intersection with Affect Studies and Animal Studies & Human-Animal Relations. I hold a PhD in Social Sciences (Sociology), by the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon; an MA in Sociology, by the University of Coimbra; and a B.A. in Communication Studies, by the Catholic University of Portugal. Currently, I am a post-doctoral researcher at ICS-ULisboa and the Morgan Centre for Research into Everyday Lives of the University of Manchester, with a project called "Friends will be friends? Personal communities and the role of friendship in times of uncertainty." (BPD 85809 2012). 

My current research interests are focused on human-animal relationships and the construction of affective relations and practices between human and non-human animals. I explore whether these practices contribute to challenging inter-species barriers and to redefining the human-animal continuum. Currently, I explore the construction of such practices between children and companion animals. I am interested in the construction of a more-than-human approach in which all living beings are considered as having equivalent rights, to be respected. Since 1 October 2018 I coordinate, at ICS-ULisboa, a project in the field of Human-Animal Studies: "CLAN - Children-Animal's Friendships: challenging boundaries between humans and non-humans in contemporary societies", funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology) (PTDC/SOC 28415/2017). I am a member of the LIFE Research Group, and a founder of "Animal Wonder - Reading Group on Human-Animal Studies @ICS-ULisboa". Other areas of interest are friendship studies; gender and sexuality; resilience, quality of life and well-being; advanced research methodologies, both quantitative and qualitative. 

Before joining ICS-ULisboa team, I was an Invited Assistant Professor at the Catholic University of Portugal. Between 2000 and 2016 I lectured at the School of Human Sciences, where I was responsible for the Faculty's programmes of Research Methodologies for the Social Sciences, at BA, MA and PhD levels. In 2014 and 2015 I was a visiting Professor at the University of Saint Joseph (Macau, China), where I lectured Theories of Mass Communication. Between April 2013 and October 2016, I was the Director of the Research Centre of Public Opinion of the Catholic University (CESOP), a unit specialized in applied social research, surveys, political polls, quantitative research and scientific methodologies. While a Professor at Catholic University, I held several management and scientific positions: member of the Board of Directors of the Research Centre for the Study of Peoples of Portuguese Expression, CEPCEP (2010-2015); member of the Board of Directors of the Research Centre of Social Work and Sociology (2013-2014); researcher at the Research Centre for Communication and Culture, where I founded and co-coordinated an International Spring School in Communication Studies (2012-2016). 

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