I am a social scientist with a strong academic background, holding bachelor's and master's degrees in Sociology from the University of Coimbra, Portugal, as well as a PhD in Social Sciences, from the University of Aveiro, Portugal. Currently serving as an Assistant Professor at Lusófona University, I am deeply involved as a full researcher at its Interdisciplinary Research Centre for Education and Development – CeiED. At CeiED, I am also an integral member of its Executive and Scientific Boards, serving as one of the coordinators of the research community on Public Policies and Governance in Education (PPGE), a member of OP.Edu (Observatory for Education and Training Policies), and a researcher representative on the Doctoral College’s coordinating committee. Additionally, I contribute as an external collaborator researcher at the Centre for Research in Higher education Policies – CIPES, affiliated with the Universities of Porto and Aveiro. My research journey is driven by a strong interest in higher education (HE) policies and institutional and organisational analysis. I delve into understanding the impact of policies in HE institutions’ structures, processes, practices, and the experiences of key-actors, notably students and academics. Exploring the intricate dynamics within institutions, I have extended my focus to include gender issues and doctoral education into my research. In my recent exploration of doctoral education studies, I initially emphasised the structural transformations of the doctorate. Over time, my inquiry has evolved to encompass specific dimensions of doctoral education, with a keen interest in aspects such as supervision. As an expert in the field of doctoral education, I have provided advice to the Education and Science Commission of the Portuguese Republic Assembly. This input pertained to the evaluation of a legislative initiative concerning potential delivery of doctorates by the polytechnic higher education institutions, through the amendment to the Educational System's Basic Law and the Legal Regime of Higher Education Institutions. My extensive research experience in higher education research predates the completion of my PhD in 2009, secured with a FCT PhD scholarship. This research experience is reflected in my multifaceted research roles, including participation as a research member in nationally and internationally competitively funded projects, institutionally sponsored international studies, and privately funded national studies. I have also taken leadership roles as Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-PI in privately funded studies and contributed as a research consultant to studies and analyses supported by various national and international bodies/agencies. With a prolific publication record, I have authored over sixty peer-reviewed academic works, spanning national and predominantly international publications. These include 2 books, 16 book chapters, 2 book editions, 33 journal articles, 8 articles in conference proceedings. My involvement extends to other publications, such as 12 study reports, 2 opinion articles, and 1 glossary. The volume and credibility of my research outputs can be verified through various scientific IDs, including Orcid (0000-0001-6504-8468), Scopus (38360973100), Web of Science (1509195) Google Schoolar, or Research Gate (researchgate.net/profile/Sonia-Cardoso). Beyond my individual contributions, I actively engage in academic communities, holding membership in esteemed organisations such as the Portuguese Sociological Association (APS), the Consortium of Higher Education Researchers (CHER), the Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE), including the SRHE Postgraduate Issues Network. I am also part of COST ACTION CA20137, contributing to the initiative “Making Young Researchers' Voices Heard for Gender Equality (VOICES)”.