Helena Antunes holds a degree in Sociology, specialising in Social Policies, from the University of Minho. She has a Master's degree in Criminology from the Faculty of Law of the University of Porto. She is currently doing her PhD in Sociology at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto. She has a doctoral research grant from the Institute of Sociology of the University of Porto and from FCT. She was a visiting assistant at the Bragança School of Education for three academic years. She taught courses in the Master’s degree in Social Education and Environmental Education, the undergraduate degrees in Social Education and Basic Education and in the technical and professional studies in Social Work and Community Development. She has supervised internship reports for the undergraduate degree in Social Education. She has collaborated in the co-supervision of the Master’s degrees in Social Education and Environmental Education of the same institution. She has experience in international cooperation for development. She has worked as a trainer in two education and training projects for secondary school sociology teachers in East Timor, and as a technical advisor/expert in a training project for higher and basic education teachers in Guinea-Bissau.