Pedro is the CEO of IPS_Innovative Prison Systems (www.prisonsystems.eu) – a research and consulting firm specialised on justice and correctional Services. He is a member of the European Commission (‘DG JUST’) groups of experts on the Implementation of European Judicial Training Strategy and on the Implementation of the European Arrest Warrant (as alternate member). He is the founder and editor of JUSTICE TRENDS (www.justice-trends.press), a magazine on innovation and best practices in prison and probation systems. Pedro has worked on public administration reform for 20 years, and on Criminal Justice Innovation Systems in different countries. He is a board director of ICPA the International Prisons and Corrections Association (www.icpa.org); board member of the BSAFE LAB Law Enforcement, Justice and Public Safety Lab of Beira Interior University (www.bsafe-lab.org). He is also advisory board member of the “Connecting Hearts Foundation for the Children of inmates” (www.connectinghearts.eu) and founding member (and ambassador in Canada) of the ALL4INTEGRITY NGO (www.all4integrity.org/en/) and of APROXIMAR NGO (www.aproximar.pt). Over the last 2 decades, Pedro has been involved in the design and implementation of innovative pilot projects lately awarded and recognised as best practices. Pedro participated in multiple justice reform workgroups and was a member of a UNODC (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime) advisory team (Vienna and Iraq). In Latin America and the Caribbean, Pedro works with the InterAmerican Development Bank (BID) in several corrections and citizen security projects in countries such as Argentina, Brazil (Ceará, Espírito Santo, Federal, São Paulo, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul and Paraíba), El Salvador, Guyana, the Bahamas, Uruguay, among others. Has been invited as a guest observer to European Commission, Council of Europe and EUROPRIS meetings and as a speaker in several international events organised by the Council of Europe, EUROPRIS, ICPA (International Corrections and Prisons Association), EPEA (European Prison Education Association), COMJIB (Conference of Ministers of the Justice of the Ibero-American countries), the Inter-American Development Bank, the European Commission and governments from the different Member States. In the last years, Pedro participated as invited lecturer on “penitentiary intelligence” in the “Master’s Diploma in “Strategic Management of Penitentiary Administration” and Diploma in “Strategic Management of Penitentiary Administration” jointly organized by the UNED University and the Spanish Secretary of Penitentiary Institutions. In 2017 he has was awarded with the “ICPA Correctional Excellence Award” and in 2021 was awarded the 2019 “Consultant of the Year” award by the Portuguese Association of Investment, Innovation, Technology and Management Professionals. Pedro holds a Sociology degree from UBI University and a MA from the College of Europe in Bruges, having as well other learning experiences in international universities (Digital Transformation, University of Virginia; Digital Transformation, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Artificial Intelligence and Data Science for Leaders, University of Chicago). Pedro is author or co-author of several publications on topics related to criminal justice reform.

Maria DENAMI is an Associate Professor in Education and Training Sciences. Interested in Higher Education Pedagogy, her main research topic is the process of professionalisation of students and their support for the development of professional skills. In this sense, her research objective is to understand how experiential learning combined with reflexivity support leads to the awareness/development of students' professional competencies. She is a member of the Learning, Teaching and Education Practices team at LISEC. Maria Denami has worked for three years in the Student Success Unit and has designed and managed various projects to support integration and success. During the winter semester 2021-2022, she was a visiting professor at the University of Dresden to participate in the training of future teachers in pedagogical engineering and training.