João Carlos Lopes de Sousa holds a Ph.D. in Communication Sciences from Iscte – Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, following an undergraduate degree in Sociology and postgraduate training in Data Analysis for the Social Sciences and Social Research Methods. He is a researcher at CIES-Iscte, where his work focuses on public opinion, institutional trust, science–society relations, and media and information ecologies. His research is primarily grounded in quantitative approaches, including multivariate analysis and multilevel modelling, combined with a sociological perspective on the processes through which public attitudes, beliefs, and dispositions are formed. He has participated in nationally and internationally funded research projects, including BLOCKCHAIN.PT – “Decentralizing Portugal with Blockchain” and “The Matrix of Populist and Science-Denialist Attitudes.” His publications address institutional trust, media and disinformation, political participation, science and society, and digital transformation. He is also a Visiting Adjunct Professor at the School of Agriculture of the Polytechnic Institute of Santarém.