Vera Ferreira

I am a social scientist specializing in energy studies, with a particular focus on energy democracy, community renewable energy, and energy justice. I am currently a researcher on the Horizon Europe project INCITE-DEM – Inclusive Citizenship in a World in Transformation: Co-Designing for Democracy, whose consortium is led by FCiências.ID. I hold a PhD in Climate Change and Sustainable Development Policies from the University of Lisbon and NOVA University Lisbon, with a specialization in Environmental Sciences. My doctoral thesis, "Energy Democracy in the Making? The Case of Community Renewable Energy in Portugal," critically examines the potential of renewable energy communities as an instrument of energy democratization in the Portuguese context. Between 2019 and 2022, I was a junior researcher at the Centre for Social Studies of the University of Coimbra. I also hold a master’s degree in International Relations (Peace and Security Studies, 2017) and a bachelor’s degree in International Relations (2015), both from the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra.