José Manuel Mendes holds a PhD in Sociology from the School of Economics of the University of Coimbra, where he is an Associate Professor with Aggregation. He is also a researcher at the Centre for Social Studies, where he has been working in the fields of risk and social vulnerability, planning, public policies and citizenship. He is coordinator of the Risk Observatory (OSIRIS) of the Centre for Social Studies and is the Editor of Revista Crítica de Ciências Sociais.