Sonia Alves

Sonia Alves is a Research Fellow at the Institute of Social Sciences (ICS) of the University of Lisbon and a visiting researcher at the Department of the Built Environment at Aalborg University. She holds a BSc in Geography, a Master’s in Urban Planning, and a PhD in Sociology. Her research focuses on housing policy, urban planning, welfare state regimes, and the social geography of cities, particularly examining the differential impacts of urban policies on social groups. She has led and participated in numerous international projects, including the Marie Skłodowska Curie fellowship-funded PLANAFFHO (2018–2020) and the current DASH project (2023–2026), which addresses safe and social housing in Europe. She co-leads the Urban Transitions Hub and is part of research groups like SHIFT and Observa at ICS-ULisboa.

Her academic career includes a 15-year tenure as a geography teacher in Portugal before returning to academia in 2012. She has published extensively on comparative welfare regimes, urban renewal, and housing affordability, with over 59 peer-reviewed outputs. Notable awards include the Prémio André Jordan (2018) and Prémios IHRU (2011). Her work bridges policy analysis, empirical research, and urban governance, emphasizing equitable urban development.

Alves has been Principal Investigator for projects such as LOGO (funded by FCT) and SustainLis (2018–2022), focusing on municipal housing strategies and sustainable urban regeneration. She actively collaborates with municipalities and international institutions, contributing to both academic discourse and practical policy solutions.