Tania Dias Fonseca

Dr. Tania Dias Fonseca serves as Associate Professor and Strategic Academic Lead for Sustainability at Kingston University, where she leads Strand 1 of the University's Sustainability Plan—integrating UN Sustainable Development Goals across learning, teaching, research, and knowledge exchange. Collaborating with senior leadership, academics, and students, she drives institutional change to embed sustainability as a core component of the student experience and Kingston's civic mission. Her work has earned national recognition including Kingston's Highly Commended status at the UK and Ireland Green Gown Awards.

Her academic journey includes:

• 2003: Licenciatura in Physics and Chemistry Education (variant Physics), University of Lisbon
• 2005: Postgraduate studies in Child Protection, University of Coimbra
• 2009: Master of Education, University of Lisbon
• 2015: PhD in e-Planning, University of Lisbon/Aveiro/Nova University of Lisbon
• 2016: Qualified Teacher Status, National College for Teaching & Leadership

Dr. Dias Fonseca's research investigates how educational institutions foster civic agency around socio-scientific issues, with positionality and inclusion central to addressing climate change inequalities. She pioneers Education for Sustainable Development frameworks that transform curricula while advancing social justice. Her teaching spans nursing, midwifery, and business programs, emphasizing project-based learning and digital pedagogies.

Recent publications reveal strong thematic cohesion across sustainability integration (2023), digital citizenship (2019), and inclusive engineering education (2021), consistently linking pedagogical innovation to UN Sustainable Development Goals. Her work bridges theory and practice through case studies in Portuguese and UK contexts, with growing emphasis on AI-powered sustainability tools.

Key recognitions include:

• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (2021)
• Education for Sustainable Development Action Learning Set Facilitator certification
• Anti-Racist Pedagogies Trainer certification

As supervisor for two doctoral candidates and Principal Investigator of multiple research projects—including the £29,400 SDGs Navigator grant—she cultivates next-generation sustainability leaders through hands-on initiatives like the Green Skills Van and Sustainability card game. Her leadership extends to Kingston's Net Zero Steering Group, Race Equality Charter, and Athena Swan committees, while externally she co-chairs the UK University Alliance Sustainability Network and serves as ARLT-ALT SIG Internal Engagement Officer.

Through the Learning and Teaching Enhancement Centre, Dr. Dias Fonseca designs nationally accredited programs (SALT and Introduction to Learning and Teaching) while delivering CPD workshops across Europe on inclusive sustainability pedagogy. Her international consultancy for the European Commission and Portuguese institutions demonstrates global impact in educational innovation.