Integrated member

Biographical Note

Ana Sofia Ribeiro is an interdisciplinary researcher in the fields of Education and Sociology, currently based at the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities of the Nova University of Lisbon. She is also an associate researcher at the Institute of Social Sciences of the University of Lisbon. She has extensive international experience, gained as an Erasmus Mundus scholar (Master in Higher Education, the University of Oslo, University of Tampere and University of Aveiro), and a Marie Curie Early Stage Researcher (PhD in Education, University of Bielefeld, 2015). Her work has focused NEET youth employability in rural areas, higher education access, participation and success, children’s rights activism regarding climate change and disaster resilience, among other topics. She is an external expert for the Erasmus Plus Agency and for the European Commission. She is a member of EERA Network 23 and 30, of SHIFT COST Action and European Rural Youth Observatory.

Research Interests

Comparative education
Sociology of children and youth
Higher education policies
Rural development
Digital and environmental transitions
Ethnographical, biographical and art-based methods

Relevant Publications

Ribeiro, A.S., Roque, I. Sousa, J.C. (2025) Activating Aspirations: Fostering Creative and Soft Skills for Rural NEETS in Central Portugal. Journal of Human Development and Capabilities. https://doi.org/10.1080/19452829.2025.2465245

Ribeiro, A.S., Bettencourt, L., Sousa, J.C., Roque, I. (2025). Skilled transitions: digital capacitation programmes as active labour market strategies in Portugal Social Inclusion. https://doi.org/10.17645/si.10129

Ribeiro, Ana Sofia. (2022). Young people and wildfire disasters: a capability for safety?”. In Young People and Stories for the Anthropocene, edited by Kraftl, Peter; Kelly, Peter; Padilla, Diego Carbajo; Ribeiro, Ana Sofia; Noonan, Meave; Black, Rosalyn; Macdonald, Deborah, pp.19-32. London: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN: 978-1-5381-5365-9. https://repositorio.ul.pt/handle/10451/55914

Ribeiro, A. S., Vieira, M. M., & Nunes de Almeida, A. (2022). Lockdown practices: a portrait of young people in the family during the first lockdown in Portugal. Journal of Youth Studies, 26(8), 1030–1045. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2022.2065909

Ribeiro, A. S., & Silva, I. (2020). Drawing on fire: children’s knowledge and needs after a wildfire disaster in Portugal. Children’s Geographies, 18(6), 726–738. https://doi.org/10.1080/14733285.2019.1699646

Current PhD students

Johanna Jeukendrup-Rothman, PhD candidate in the Inter-institutional Doctoral Program in Climate Change and Sustainable Development Policies. Thesis Title: The presence of solastalgia in young children (7-18) and finding bridges between solastalgia and environmental education. (A preliminary study in Israel), since 2022, Co-Supervisor: Dafna Gan, Open University of Israel (OUI).
Sabrina Fialho, PhD candidate in the Inter-institutional Doctoral Program in Climate Change and Sustainable Development Policies. Thesis Title: Empowering children to become active climate citizens in Portugal: are existing means of political expression and democratic mechanisms allowing them to meaningfully contribute to the green transition? (Co-supervisor: Anabela Carvalho, University of Minho and Roberto Falanga, ICS-ULisboa, since 2025).
Bruna Avancini, PhD candidate in Migration Studies at the University of Lisbon. Thesis Title: From Silence to Participation: Listening, Language, and Public Policies for Refugee Children (Since 2025; Co-supervisor: Vasco Ramos,ICS-ULisboa since December 2025).
Domingos Malú Quadé, PhD candidate in the Inter-institutional Doctoral Program in Climate Change and Sustainable Development Policies (Sociology branch). Thesis Title: Sustainability, Insularity, and Climate Action: the role of teacher training in the face of climate emergencies in coastal regions in Guinea-Bissau, Africa (Co-supervisor: Luísa Schmidt, ICS-ULisboa)

External collaborations

Network 23 e 30 da European Educational Researchers Association
COST SHIFT ACTION
EURYO: Observatório Europeu da Juventude Rural
Human Development and Capability Approach Association

Alumni

Thiago Sette Câmara de Oliveira, Doutoramento em Migrações, Universidade de Lisboa. Thesis Title: The influence of the Erasmus Program on the construction of European Identity