Miguel Macias Sequeira joined CENSE FCT-NOVA as a PhD candidate in Environment and Sustainability in 2021, researching ways to support a sustainable and just energy transition at city scale. More specifically, his PhD thesis is exploring the role of hard-to-reach energy users in this transition, by characterizing audiences at European, national, and local scales and by developing a local-scale support framework which is being piloted in several neighborhoods of Lisbon Metropolitan Area. Miguel is also collaborating on several international and national research projects, such as the Energy Poverty Advisory Hub (EPAH), the IEA UsersTCP Task on Hard-to-reach Energy Users, project "Ponto de Transição" that is piloting physical one-stop-shop approaches to mitigate energy poverty, and "Menu de Renovação Verde" that launched a digital one-stop-shop for home renovation.
Miguel has a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering, from the NOVA School of Science and Technology of NOVA University Lisbon, with a semester abroad at the Warsaw University of Technology. Before joining CENSE, he worked on three renowned organizations, including a one-year professional experience in the Netherlands, covering areas as energy, climate change, circular economy, and water. Parallel to his PhD, Miguel is volunteering for the local partnership of Telheiras - a community-led network that promotes local sustainability - where he is coordinating an energy community project. He is also an environmental activist at GEOTA - one of the key environmental NGOs in Portugal - currently serving as board member. Since 2021, Miguel is one of the European Union's Climate Pact Ambassadors in Portugal.