Rafael Castelló Cogollos (Carcaixent, 1964) is a senior lecturer in Sociology at the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Valencia, where he carries out his teaching, research and administrative duties in the fields of social structure, political sociology, the sociology of culture and linguistic rights. His professional career combines ongoing participation in competitive and applied research projects with significant institutional responsibilities and a wide-ranging academic output, particularly focused on the Valencian Community as a laboratory for sociological analysis.

University teaching and pedagogical innovation

In the field of teaching, he delivers undergraduate modules in Sociology and in the dual-degree programme in Sociology and Political Science and Public Administration, as well as postgraduate courses on demographic analysis, linguistic identities and ideologies, and applied sociological research. He has participated in and directed programmes such as the Master’s in Sociology and Anthropology of Public Policy and the University Specialisation Course in Equality, Public Policy and Linguistic Rights, and has taught modules on programmes in gerontology and cultural services management, linking university education with the social reality of Valencia.

He has supervised doctoral theses and Master’s dissertations on the political impact of the Great Recession, the field of sociology in Spain, local development strategies and the recreational use of anabolic steroids, adopting a clear empirical approach and analysing specific social processes. He has promoted research as a teaching resource through pedagogical innovation projects, notably "Estructura social i imaginació sociològica" and the journal Esbossos Socials. Estructura social al País Valencià. The latter was conceived to integrate teaching and learning through students’ research activities.

Sociological research

His research career can be divided into several main areas: demography and urban sociology; political sociology (national identities and electoral behaviour); civic and social participation; the sociology of culture and linguistic practices; and social structure and precarious living conditions. Since the early 1990s, they have participated in numerous R&D&I projects funded by national, regional and European bodies, as well as in applied research contracts with public administrations.

In recent years, their work has focused particularly on the analysis of languages in the digital society, the legal and social risks posed by artificial intelligence to linguistic minorities and linguistic rights, within the framework of projects on the digital linguistic ecosystem and the TITAN certification scheme to safeguard rights in the era of AI-based language services. At the same time, she continues her research into social inequalities, precariousness and socio-ecological practices, participating in projects centred on the mobilisation, participation and management of such practices in contemporary societies.

University management and institutional responsibilities

In the field of university management, he has held various posts in the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology, in the Faculty of Social Sciences and within the institutional structure of the University of Valencia. He has served as secretary of the department and a member of the Standing Committee, vice-dean for Studies, Educational Innovation and European Convergence, chair of the Centre’s Quality Committee, chair of the academic committees for the bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Sociology, a member of the Faculty Council and coordinator of the Tarongers Campus Virtual Classroom. He has also directed the Master’s in Sociology and Anthropology of Public Policy and the Language Policy Service at the University of Valencia for over a decade, and co-directed the Chair in Language Rights.

His experience in applied research on the Valencian context has led him to coordinate and participate in studies on citizen participation in the Valencian Regional Government, municipal plans for inclusion and social cohesion, civic coexistence, educational exclusion, youth, immigration, volunteering and territorial development, thereby strengthening the link between academic sociology, public policy and the transfer of knowledge to the region.

In 2024, he was awarded the Medal of Honour by the Xarxa Vives d’Universitats, at a time when his contributions to sociolinguistic research, his reflection on linguistic rights, and his definition of university and inter-university language policies in Catalan-speaking regions were converging.