José Vicente holds a Ph.D. in Sustainable Design and a BSc in Product Design from the Faculty of Architecture at the Lisbon Technical University. He is currently an Associate Professor at the School of Arts and Design of Caldas da Rainha (ESAD.CR). He has previously worked at the University of Évora, the University of Beira Interior (where he was the coordinator of the Master’s degree in Industrial Design), the Cascais School of Arts & Design, IADE – Universidade Europeia, and the Escola Superior Gallaecia (where he was the coordinator of the Bachelor’s Degree in Design, Vice-President of the Board of Direction for Quality and Academics, and member of the Scientific Council).

He has been a researcher in the field of design since 2006, focusing on the study of strategies and tools for improving sustainability and circularity in product design. He is also interested in better understanding the role of vernacular objects as models for a more sustainable future and aims to integrate these subjects more effectively into design education.

Currently, he is an integrated researcher at LiDA and a collaborator at the CIAUD Research Center. He has previously worked with the LABCOM, UNIDCOM, and CIESG research centers. He was part of the team that won the “João Branco National Design Research Award 2012” with the De.:SID Research Project. He has participated in national and European-funded research projects, published several articles and book sections, and presented at international conferences. He serves as a reviewer for several international journals, including the Journal of Cleaner Production (Elsevier) and Sustainability (MDPI).

Before his academic career, he worked as a Designer at Almadesign, where he participated in the development of over 100 design projects for national companies, some of which were awarded the Good Design Award or the National Design Award. He also served as a Board Member of the Portuguese Association of Designers.