Ana Bárbara Sousa e Brito

Ana Bárbara Sousa e Brito is a researcher at the Centro de Investigação e Desenvolvimento sobre Direito e Sociedade (CEDIS) and an Invited Assistant Professor at NOVA School of Law (Faculdade de Direito da Universidade Nova de Lisboa). She holds a law degree from Universidade Lusíada de Lisboa and a PhD in Juridical-Criminal Sciences from NOVA School of Law. Her academic affiliations extend to the Centro de Estudos Jurídicos, Económicos e Ambientais (CEJAE) and the Centro de Investigação de Direito Penal e Ciências Criminais (CIDPCC) at Faculdade de Direito de Lisboa.

Research Interests:

• Criminal Law (Direito Penal)
• Criminal Procedure (Direito Processual Penal)
• Cognitive Sciences
• Neuroscience
• Legal Theory
• Juridical-Criminal Sciences

Key Research Trends: Her work bridges traditional criminal law theory with interdisciplinary approaches from cognitive sciences and neuroscience, focusing on unconscious behavior, automatism, and judicial processes. Her 2015 book explores the intersection of penal dogma and neuroscientific insights, suggesting a modern framework for legal analysis.

Academic Activities:

• Speaker at workshops/seminars on topics like automatism, death by request, and judicial performance (2018-2023)
• Examiner for thesis defenses
• Active in interdisciplinary legal research networks

Labs & Collaborations:

• Integrated researcher at CEJAE (Centro de Estudos Jurídicos, Económicos e Ambientais)
• Collaborator at CEDIS (Research and Development Center on Law and Society)
• Collaborator at CIDPCC (Centro de Investigação de Direito Penal e Ciências Criminais)