Profile

Maria Lucinda Fonseca holds a degree in Geography (1978), a PhD (1989), and a Habilitation in Human Geography (2005) from the Faculty of Arts and Humanities of the University of Lisbon (FLUL). She began and developed most of her academic career in the Department of Geography at FLUL. With the establishment of the Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning at the University of Lisbon (IGOT-ULisboa) in 2009, she joined the institute, where she remained as a Full Professor until her retirement in July 2024.
A researcher at the Centre for Geographical Studies since 1974, she was the founder and Scientific Director of the MIGRARE Research Group (2008–2024). She is a member of the Terra Associate Laboratory and a Full Member and Secretary of the Letters Section at the Lisbon Academy of Sciences. She was also a founding member of the IMISCOE (Migration Research Network) and served on its Board of Directors (2004–2024), in addition to being part of the International Steering Committee of the Metropolis International Project and various committees and working groups of the International Geographical Union. She is also a member of the General Council of the Manuel Viegas Guerreiro Foundation.
She has coordinated and participated in over thirty research projects in the fields of internal and international migration, migration policies and immigrant integration, demography, urban studies, and regional and local development.
She is the author and editor of more than 20 books and has published over a hundred book chapters and articles in scientific journals within her areas of expertise.
She served as Pro-Rector of the University of Lisbon, Scientific Coordinator of the Centre for Portuguese Popular Traditions Prof. Manuel Viegas Guerreiro, and President of IGOT (2013–2019).
In recognition of her scientific contributions, she was awarded the “Women in Science” 2023 distinction – an initiative by Ciência Viva – National Agency for Scientific and Technological Culture (Portugal).