About me

As a contemplative scholar, I work at the intersection of things more usually kept apart: the contemplative and the institutional, the personal and the professional.

The scholar comes out mostly through my work as a consultant at PIRON Global Development and researcher at ETF, supporting complex processes of organisational transformation, and bridging the role religion and faith play in international affairs. The contemplative takes reflection, prayer, and the inner life seriously not only as personal disciplines, but as integral parts to meaningful work.

Interdisciplinary work is tough. But there is beauty in bridging worlds. Deep reflection sharpens institutional thinking; institutional practice keeps reflection honest, tested against real organisations and real people. This is the thread running through this corner of the web:

Essays — analytical, practitioner-facing work on religion, institutions, and international affairs. Reflections — contemplative, personal compositions on faith, formation, and what it means to love and live well.

I hold two PhDs — in Human Geography and International Relations — from Portugal, where I grew up. I write in Portuguese and English depending on the piece and its audience, and live and work in Bonn, Germany, working for the greater good of societies.

If you can’t find me in the nearest library, I’m probably sharing my latest ideas with friends over a coffee (or a beer).