Profile

José Luís Zêzere holds a PhD in Physical Geography from the University of Lisbon and is a Full Professor at the Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning of the same university, where he also serves as Director of the Centre for Geographical Studies. Throughout his academic career, he has supervised and co-supervised 19 doctoral theses and 21 master’s dissertations, making a significant contribution to the training of new generations of researchers in natural hazards and spatial planning. He served as President of the Portuguese Association of Geomorphologists from 2023 to 2024 and is currently Vice-President of the CERG (European Centre on Geomorphological Hazards), an institution of the Council of Europe.
His main research areas include risk analysis, hazard assessment and mapping, as well as exposure and vulnerability evaluation, having published 112 articles indexed in the Web of Science (H Index = 33). He received the 2018 University of Lisbon / Caixa Geral de Depósitos Scientific Award in the field of Geography and Territory, in recognition of the significance and excellence of his work. He has participated in 35 research projects (19 of which were international) and in 48 service assignments to society, coordinating, among others, the MapRisk and DISASTER projects, both focused on risk management and emergency planning. In addition to his scientific pursuits, he coordinated the Risk and Civil Protection teams in the Regional Spatial Planning Plans for the Oeste and Vale do Tejo regions, as well as for the Lisbon Metropolitan Area.