Joana P. Cruz is a post-doctoral researcher at the Centre for Research and Intervention in Education (CIIE-UP), nestled within the Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences at the University of Porto. She holds a Ph.D. in Educational Sciences and a master's degree in Deviant Psychology, both earned from the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences at the University of Porto. Her scholarly pursuits revolve around the transformative power of art, with a particular focus on Theatre of the Oppressed (TO) methodology aimed at fostering civic and political engagement among youth cohorts. She participated as team research in the European projects ClimActiC - Connecting Citizenship and Science for Climate Adaptation, and CATCH-EyoU - Constructing AcTive CitizensHip with European Youth, and is now a Member of the Evaluation Team for the International PODER Project - Power Dynamics in Education Revisited, which aim to illuminate critical societal issues within adult education contexts. Joana is the co-creator and co-coordinator of the Theatre and Politics Laboratory, established in partnership with the Talking Turtle Association and the Institute of Sociology at the University of Porto. As a co-founder of the Talking Turtle Association, she designs and facilitates Theatre of the Oppressed workshops, aimed at broadening and redefining the transformative potentialities of this dynamic artistic medium. Her scholarly publications integrate art, research, and intervention processes. In addition to her research endeavors, Joana serves as a mentor, supervising master's theses, and contributing as an educator at institutions including the Escola Superior de Educação do Porto and the Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação da Universidade do Porto. Her pedagogical expertise spans courses on Action Research in Education at the graduate level and Artistic Projects and Intervention in Communities at the post-graduate level in Education and Visual Arts. Joana actively participates in the Community of Research Practices (CoPIn) within the esteemed PCEP - Participation, Communities, and Political Education. Under the auspices of the Center for Research and Educational Intervention at the University of Porto (CIIE-UP), this community fosters interdisciplinary dialogue and transformative research endeavors.

2020 – Ph.D in Education Sciences – Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Portugal
2011 – Integrated Master in Psychology – Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences, University of Porto, Portugal

Political participation; Active citizenship; Participatory research methodologies; Theater of the Oppressed.