Sandra Lima Coelho holds a PhD in Sociology from the Faculty of Arts at the University of Porto, where she developed her thesis, "Fair Trade in Portugal: A Sociological Perspective on the Modus Operandi of an Alternative Commercial Model and the Modus Vivendi of Its Consumers." She is a lecturer at Católica Porto Business School, and the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences at the University of Beira Interior.
She is a member of the Coordination Council for Cive Morum - Centre for Civic Studies and Intervention and the Editorial Board of the Social Barometer Platform, where she coordinates the "Citizenship, Inequalities, and Social Participation" dimension. Additionally, she leads the Thematic Section on Sociology of Consumption at the Portuguese Sociological Association and coordinates the Ethics, Economy, and Society Group at Católica Porto Business School.
Dr. Coelho has participated in various innovative social projects aligned with different Sustainable Development Goals, particularly in the areas of alternative consumption practices (collaborative consumption, sharing economy, sustainable consumption, Fair Trade, and local currencies), social impact assessment (evaluation and monitoring of social intervention projects), and tackling gender inequalities. She has supervised and examined master’s and doctoral theses that aim to empower individuals and organisations (across public, private, and cooperative sectors) to address issues through innovative, place-based responses to emerging social needs.
Bridging her teaching and research activities, Dr. Coelho’s interests and numerous publications cover fields such as Social Innovation, Sustainable Development, Alternative Economies, Volunteering, and Sociology of Consumption. She co-coordinated the project "National Network for Responsible Consumption: Strategies to Change Young Portuguese Consumption Habits" and is an active leader and volunteer at Diálogo Acontece Association, an organisation dedicated to promoting Fair Trade products and principles, as well as fostering knowledge and citizenship.