Program Overview

---

Introduction to the Doctoral Program in Sustainability Sciences

The Doctoral Program in Sustainability Sciences at the University of Lisbon is designed to address the complex and multidimensional challenges faced by society, which require a new paradigm associated with sustainable development. This program aims to equip professionals with solid scientific knowledge and the ability to incorporate it into understanding the interactions between global, natural, social, and human systems, and how these interactions affect sustainability challenges.

Objectives

The objective of this Doctoral Program is to promote advanced training of excellence and competitive internationally, integrating transversal knowledge and current knowledge for sustainable development. The program is designed to provide human resources with tools that allow them to understand and respond to current and future challenges posed to sustainability, resulting from the understanding of the interactions between global, natural, social, and human systems for the development of new solutions and innovative policies.

Focus on Resources, Food, and Society (REASOn)

The Doctoral Program in Sustainability Sciences at the University of Lisbon focuses on the dimension of food production and consumption as a central vector of the challenges posed to sustainability. It recognizes that understanding food systems and acting on the global food system are fundamental instruments for sustainable development and require research on the interactions between ecology and socio-economics.

Pedagogical Model for Impact

The necessary change for sustainability requires a responsive and attentive pedagogical model to the transition to new forms of acquiring skills and building knowledge. This Doctoral Program differentiates itself by combining the truly multidisciplinary composition of its teaching staff with immersive pedagogical processes where the acquisition and integration of new knowledge are linked to group project methodologies, autonomous work, and the use of information and communication technologies, with monitoring and guidance from teachers based on discussion and debate in multidisciplinary panels.

Target Audience

This program is aimed at the best students and professionals who seek to transform knowledge into results and innovation. It is designed for professionals and students who have an academic background in any area of knowledge and seek to develop a thesis in a university environment, business/industry environment, or in a professional work context.

Study Plan

The program starts with the completion of curricular units aimed at deepening scientific training, known as the Doctoral Course, which lasts two semesters and has a workload equivalent to 60 ECTS. The curricular units are organized sequentially according to their objective of framing, thematic expansion, and orientation towards the thesis topic.

1st Year

• UC Enquadramento: Security and Global Dynamics, coordinated by Joăo Baptista and Luís Goulăo, 1st semester, 3 ECTS.
• UC Temática: Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, coordinated by José Carlos Franco and Tiago Capela Lourenço, 1st semester, 6 ECTS.
• UC Temática: Use of Resources: Water and Soil, coordinated by Paulo Seixas and Rui Bessa, 1st semester, 6 ECTS.
• UC Temática: Social Practices, Food, and Health, coordinated by Idalina Sardinha and Maria Henriques, 1st semester, 6 ECTS.
• UC Temática: Sustainable Development of Value Chains and Territories, coordinated by Luís Moreno and Magda Fontes, 1st semester, 6 ECTS.
• UC Orientaçăo para a Tese: Seminars I, coordinated by Amélia Branco and Mónica Truninger, 1st and 2nd semesters, 3 ECTS.
• UC Orientaçăo para a Tese: Innovation and Entrepreneurship, coordinated by Luís Mira and Rute Saraiva, 2nd semester, 6 ECTS.
• UC Orientaçăo para a Tese: Methods and Techniques of Research: Laboratory Rotation, coordinated by Mónica Truninger and Paulo Morgado, 2nd semester, 6 ECTS.
• UC Orientaçăo para a Tese: Workshop, coordinated by Luís Goulăo and Paulo Nicola, 1st and 2nd semesters, 6 ECTS.
• UC Orientaçăo para a Tese: Electives, 2nd semester, 12 ECTS.

2nd to 4th Years

Dedicated to the development of the Doctoral Thesis, including the attendance of two curricular units of Seminars that ensure the continuity of interaction and knowledge exchange between students of each cohort and between them and the teaching staff.

Teaching Staff

The teaching staff includes 55 professors from 17 faculties and institutes of the University of Lisbon, ensuring the interdisciplinarity necessary for Sustainability Sciences. The staff list includes:

• Amélia Branco, History of Economics, Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestăo.
• Ana Carvalho, Industrial Engineering and Management, Instituto Superior Técnico.
• Ana Delicado, Social Studies of Science and Technology, Instituto de Cięncias Sociais.
• ...
• Up to 55 professors from various disciplines.

Applications

Application Period

3rd of March to 16th of May 2025.

Tuition Fees

• 1st year: 2,750.00 EUR.
• 2nd-4th years: 1,750.00 EUR.

Schedule

Mixed: Friday afternoon (14:00-20:00) and Saturday morning (9:00-13:00).

Location

Edifício da Reitoria da Universidade de Lisboa, Alameda da Universidade, Cidade Universitária, Lisboa.

Admission Requirements

Holders of a Master's degree or legal equivalent in any area of knowledge can apply. Exceptionally, holders of a Bachelor's degree or legal equivalent with a particularly relevant academic, scientific, or professional curriculum that demonstrates the capacity for habilitation to the doctoral degree can also apply. The decision is made by the Scientific Committee after curricular evaluation.

Institutional Information

Coordination

• Amélia Branco (Coordinator), Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestăo.
• Luís Goulăo (Vice-Coordinator), Instituto Superior de Agronomia.
• Cecília Galvăo, Instituto de Educaçăo.
• Wanda Viegas, Instituto Superior de Agronomia.

Scientific Committee

Includes members from various faculties and institutes of the University of Lisbon, such as Amélia Branco, Ana Isabel Lopes, Ana Isabel Loupa Ramos, among others.

Regulation and Official Documents

• Edital de Candidatura.
• Regulamento do Ciclo de Estudos.
• Comissăo Científica - Despacho n.ş 10423/2025.
• Despacho n.ş 1968/2018.
• Protocolo de Cooperaçăo Pedagógica, Científica e Técnica.

A3ES Accreditation

The Doctoral Program in Sustainability Sciences is accredited by A3ES, with accreditation number NCE/16/, for a period of 6 years, starting from 31st of July 2017, and registered by DGES on 22nd of December 2017, with the number R/A-Cr115/2017.