Mário Vale

National Correspondent

Class
Letters

Section
8th Section | Geography and Spatial Planning

Election

18.06.2024 (Corresponding Member)

Contact

mario.vale [at] igot.ulisboa.pt

Areas of Interest

Economic Geography; Geographies of Innovation; Regional Development Theories and Policies; Peripheral areas and left-behind places

Hyperlinks
https://researchportal.ulisboa.pt/en/persons/mário-vale
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4548-2459

Profile

Mário Vale began his higher education at the University of Lisbon, where he completed a BA in Geography (1986) and an MA in Human Geography and Regional and Local Planning (1990). This academic path sparked his interest in Economic Geography, leading him to pursue a PhD focused on Geographies of Innovation (University of Lisbon, 1999), with exchange periods at Durham University, Université Paris I (Panthéon-Sorbonne), and the University of Newcastle. He is currently Full Professor in Human Geography and Planning at the Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning of the University of Lisbon.

He has participated in various projects funded by the European Union (e.g., TELL, EURODITE, eMOTIONAL Cities, Re-Place), ESPON (e.g., Regionet, Metro, ReSSI), and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), including coordinating the Divest project. He was Director of the Centre for Geographical Studies (2014-2020), a prestigious national R&D unit, and currently serves as President of the Institute of Geography and Spatial Planning (IGOT), where he also directs the PhD program in Geography.

Mário Vale has been actively involved in scientific societies, having served as Vice-Chair of the Regional Studies Association (2008-2011), a board member of the Regional Studies Association Europe since 2017, and President of the Portuguese Association of Geographers (2004-2008), where he now serves as President of the General Assembly. He is a member of the external advisory board of the Centre of Urban and Regional Development (University of Newcastle) and was awarded a Fulbright Visiting Scholar grant, which supported his stay at the University of California, Los Angeles, in 2013.

Throughout his career, Mário Vale’s research has significantly advanced the understanding of Economic Geography and Geographies of Innovation. His work has unveiled new perspectives on the spatial dynamics of innovation, with a particular focus on peripheral regions, highlighting the crucial role of territory and regional planning in economic and social development. He has widely published on these topics in prestigious national and international scientific journals.