João is a geographer keen to understand how communities address and cope with the challenges posed by environmental hazards. Since the beginning of his MSc in Cities, Hazards, and Spatial Planning, he has been researching the broad wildfire theme, motivated by the effects of the 2017 wildfires in Central Portugal. He is also a Volunteer Firefighter and a First Emergency Responder who wishes to facilitate communication flow between research and practitioners while reducing the knowledge gap between them. In 2023, he was part of the Portuguese team deployed by the EUCPM to tackle wildfires in Canada.
The exchange of knowledge, resources, and capacities between European agencies and entities is key to the demanding wildfire problem. Joao’s research focuses on how Cyprus can better design a sustainable wildfire management strategy, while drawing from innovative and integrated fire management policies throughout Europe, particularly focusing on lessons learned and the positive outcomes of the establishment of the Portuguese Integrated Rural Fire Management System, its Program, and Plan of Action.
Skills and abilities
GIS |Remote sensing |Qualitative research | Photography | Audio and Video editing | Public speaking
Languages
Portuguese (native), English (C1), Spanish (B1), French (A2)