OPEN LECTURE 1 – 02/07/2026 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm | online
“Educating for… learning in the digital age” | Professor Luís Pereira (Universidade Aberta)
Luís Pereira is an Invited Assistant Professor at Universidade Aberta, where he designs and delivers training in Artificial Intelligence and Education. He is also a researcher at LE@D and a fellow of the Centre for Online and Distance Education at the University of London. He holds a PhD from the Universidade do Minho and focuses on digital literacies and competences, as well as the pedagogical implications of AI in education. In 2025, he led the scientific review of DigComp 3.0 for the European Commission and is a member of the Advisory Board for the DigCompEdu review. Between 2012 and 2025, he worked in the United Kingdom in several universities in academic development and in the pedagogical and digital training of teaching staff, being recognised as a Senior Fellow of Advance HE and SEDA.
OPEN LECTURE 2 – 03/07/2026 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm | online
“Educating for… critical global citizenship” | Professor Amanda Franco (Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo)
Amanda Franco is a project officer in Education for Development and Global Citizenship at GEED of ESE-IPVC, within the European project GET (2023–2027), and a lecturer in the Bachelor’s Degree in Basic Education at the same institution, as well as a researcher at CEAUP. She holds a PhD in Education Sciences from the Universidade do Minho and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Universidade de Aveiro. She was a Fulbright scholar in the USA (2021–2022), where she conducted research on teacher professional development and critical thinking. She holds Master’s degrees in School Psychology and Pedagogical Supervision and has experience as a school psychologist and as a higher education lecturer. Throughout her career, she has collaborated with institutions such as CLIL at the Universidade Católica Portuguesa. Her areas of work include critical thinking, learning and practice communities, teacher professional development and, currently, education for global citizenship.
OPEN LECTURE 3 – 06/07/2026 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm | online
“Educating for… peace and human rights” | Professor Mariana Barbosa (Universidade Católica Portuguesa)
Mariana Reis Barbosa, who holds a PhD in Psychology of Justice from the Universidade do Minho, is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Education and Psychology of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa and a researcher at CEDH. Her work focuses on the Psychology of Peace and Human Rights, and she coordinates the areas of Education and Psychology in the Interdisciplinary Post-Graduation Programme in Human Rights and the Master’s in Psychology. She is the national coordinator of the Heroic Imagination Project and of several international projects funded by the European Commission, including Safe Zone and SeRV. She also represents the university on the Executive Committee of the Refugee Support Platform, having founded and coordinated on the ground, in Lesvos, the volunteer programme “PAR @ Linha da Frente”.
OPEN LECTURE 4 – 07/07/2026 | 6:00 – 7:00 pm | online
“Educating for… beyond benchmarking and performance” | Professor Conceição Silva (Universidade Católica Portuguesa)
Maria Conceição Silva is a Full Professor at Católica Porto Business School of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa. She holds a PhD in Management Science from Aston University and a Master’s degree from Warwick University. Her research focuses on the analysis of efficiency and productivity, particularly through the application of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), and she has more than 35 scientific publications and contributions to reference works in the field. She has applied these methodologies across various sectors, such as education, health and banking, and has led projects funded by the FCT, including the development of benchmarking platforms for schools and hospitals. She is currently involved in a COST project on the efficiency of justice, holds editorial roles in scientific journals and undertakes academic leadership positions, currently serving as Associate Dean for Research, Innovation and Sustainability.
Integrated into the PhD in Education Science at the Faculty of Education and Psychology of Universidade Católica Portuguesa, this series of open lectures is intended for all students, alumni and others interested in the topics presented. We are delighted to welcome a number of very special guest speakers.
The open lectures are held online and last one hour.
Access is free, subject to registration. After registering, participants will receive the access link by email.