António Firmino da Costa (antonio.costa@iscte-iul.pt). PhD in Sociology and Habilitation (“Agregação”) in Sociology. Emeritus Professor of Iscte-University Institute of Lisbon. Full Professor retired of Iscte-University Institute of Lisbon. Researcher of the Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology (CIES-Iscte). Member of the Advisory Board of the Portuguese Sociological Association (APS), member of the Scientific Council of the Inequality Observatory (OD), and member of the Advisory Board of the Portuguese Observatory on Cultural Activities (OPAC). Throughout his university career he has developed teaching and scientific research activity, mainly in the following fields of knowledge: social inequalities; urban cultures and cultural identities; literacy, education and higher education; science and society; methodology and epistemology of the social sciences; sociologists’ profession and ethics. He was coordinator or participant in about 70 research projects, author or co-author of more than 200 scientific publications (books, book chapters, scientific articles), coordinator and professor of about 50 curricular units (PhD, Master and Bachelor) and supervisor of about 50 PhD theses and 70 Master dissertations. He was a founding member of the Centre for Research and Studies in Sociology (CIES) (1985), the Portuguese Sociological Association (APS) (1985), the scientific journal Sociologia, Problemas e Práticas (1986), and the Inequality Observatory (OD) (2008). He was Editor of the scientific journal Sociologia Problemas e Práticas (1994-2000 and 2019-2026), President of the Board of CIES (2000-2006), Co-coordinator of the Doctoral Program in Sociology and the Master in Sociology of Iscte (2003-2011), Coordinator of the Research Group on “Knowledge Society, Competencies and Communication” of CIES-Iscte (2007-2019), Director of the Inequality Observatory (OD) (2008-2016), Vice-Rector for Research of Iscte-University Institute of Lisbon (2010-2013), Chairman of the Ethics Council of the Portuguese Sociological Association (APS) (2012-2016), Co-coordinator of the Iberian Chair CTS+I (Science, Technology, Society + Innovation) promoted by the Organisation of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI) (2015-2018), member of the Ethics Council of the Higher School of Health Technology of Lisbon (ESTeSL) (2017-2021), member of the Standing Committee of the General Council of the Iscte (2017-2020), Vice-President of the Standing Committee of the Scientific Council of the Iscte (2019-2020), coordinator of the Standing Committee on “Higher Education, Science and Technology” of the Portuguese Education National Council (CNE). He was distinguished with the Award of Scientific Merit, by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Portugal (2019).