María José Barbé Villarubia is a Doctor of Social Sciences with an international distinction (2020), a Master's in Gender and Equality Policies from the University of Valencia (2015), and a Bachelor's in Social Work with an outstanding degree award (2013). She is currently a Tenured Professor in the Department of Social Work and Social Services, a member of the University of Valencia's Institute for Women's Studies, and a member of the InMIDE research group. She has been a postdoctoral research fellow, through a competitive “Talent Attraction” contract from the University of Valencia (UV-INV-PREDOC17F1-538430), and has also been a “Talent Attraction” predoctoral researcher (ref: INV17-01-13-18). Her research focuses on issues related to the problems affecting women, migration, development, epistemologies of the South, and the SDGs from a gender perspective. In this regard, she has undertaken a research stay at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) in Ecuador, a collaboration with the Central University of Ecuador, and an international specialisation course with CLACSO (Latin American Council of the Social Sciences) and the University of Coimbra (Portugal).

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Prof. Garcés Ferrer is a professor (CU) at the University of Valencia and has been director of the public research institute for Social Welfare Policies (Polibienestar) since 2011. Between 2014 and 2016, he held the Prince of Asturias Chair at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. In 2021, he was appointed by the Spanish government as Education Advisor to the OECD, UNESCO, and the Council of Europe, based in Paris and Strasbourg. He has been awarded honorary doctorates by four universities, two of which are public: Jaume I University in Castellón and the Polytechnic University of Valencia in 2017 and 2022, respectively. He is the longest-serving professor in the field of social work and social services, with seven six-year periods of research.

Joan Lacomba Vázquez holds a Diploma in Social Work, a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Sociology, and a PhD in Sociology. He is a Full Professor in the Department of Social Work at the University of Valencia. His research has focused on migration and its links to development, as well as immigrant associations and NGOs working in the field of migration. He has conducted research stays at centers and universities in Belgium, France, Tunisia, Morocco, Ecuador, and Chile.

He has published, among other works, the book *Immigrant Islam*. Transformations and Adaptations of Cultural and Religious Practices (Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, 2001), after receiving the first Marqués de Lozoya Cultural Research Prize from the Ministry of Education and Culture, as well as "Migrations and Development in Morocco" (La Catarata, 2004), the result of a research project awarded by the La Caixa Foundation. She has coordinated the volumes Immigration in Spanish Society: A Multidisciplinary Overview (Edicions Bellaterra, 2008), From Migration as a Problem to Migration as an Opportunity: Co-development and Migratory Movements (La Catarata, 2010), Diasporas and Development from Spain: A Study on the Role of Immigrant Associations in the Development of Countries of Origin (Comares, 2016), The Moroccan Diaspora and its Contributions to Host Countries: Unveiling a Hidden Value (IEHL and Mohamed V University, 2018), and NGOs and Immigrant Associations in Spain: A Guide of best practices regarding their cooperation (Comares, 2019) and The Contribution of Immigration to Spanish Society (OPI, 2020). He has also published scientific articles in the journals Cuadernos de Trabajo Social, Alternativas, Revue Européenne des Migrations Internationales, International Migration Journal, Revista Internacional de Sociología, Revista Española de Investigaciones Sociológicas, Revista Migraciones, Revista Migraciones Internacionales, International Review of Sociology, New Diversities, Voluntas Journal, Revista Española de Sociología, Revista de Estudios Sociales, Revista Iberoamericana de Estudios del Desarrollo, Two Homelands, and Journal of International Migration and Integration.

He has directed the R&D projects “Diasporas and Co-development from Spain: The Role of Immigrant Associations in the Development of Countries of Origin” (CSO2011-22686); “The Contribution of Migrant Associations to Spanish Civil Society.” “New organizational models and relationships with Non-Governmental Development Organizations” (CSO2015-66181-R); “Migration, climate change and development cooperation. Flows, impacts and policy coherence in the cases of Morocco and Senegal in relation to Spain” (PID2021-122559NB-I00); “Climate change, migration and water. Dynamics of mobility and development among women in Morocco and Senegal” (PID2024-155690NB-I00).

He directs the InMIDE research group on migration and development processes at the University of Valencia.

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Lucía Martínez Martínez is a permanent lecturer in the Department of Social Work at the University of Valencia. She has a diploma in Social Work, a degree in Sociology, a certificate in teaching adaptation (CAP), a master's degree in Local Development Promotion and Management (master's in ADL) and a PhD in Local Development and Territory.

For 22 years, she worked as a social worker in local government, holding various positions ranging from direct care to coordination of the Municipal Social Services department. In 2011, she joined the University of Valencia through a competitive examination, hoping that her professional experience would improve the training of social work students.

Her lines of research revolve around social policies, particularly those based on the social services system: its creation, organisation, management and evaluation. Many of her publications on this subject have appeared in various journals in the field, including Documentos de Trabajo Social, Alternativas (Cuadernos de Trabajo Social), Revista de Servicios Sociales y Política Social, Azarbe, etc.

She has published a wide range of books and is the editor of Los Servicios Sociales en la provincia de Valencia: Análisis territorial y estado de la cuestión (2017), PUV, which was funded by the Provincial Council of Valencia for distribution to all local authorities in the province. She has also contributed chapters to books published by Aranzadi-Thomson Reuters, Caritas-Foessa, Tirant Lo Blanc, Publicaciones de la Universitat de València (PUV) and the Association of Spanish Geographers through the University of Alicante.

He has participated in various conferences on social policies and in various publicly funded research projects on the legislative creation of the social services system in the Valencian Community, carrying out various studies prior to the creation of the legislation, such as the one published at this link: https://www.dival.es/es/inclusio-social/laboratorio-social

He appears in databases such as: Researchgate, Google Scholar, OpenAlex, Dialnet, Roderic, etc.

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Assistant professor at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Valencia and Doctor of Social Sciences with the thesis ‘Long-term homelessness: Life trajectories and institutional intervention’, awarded the ‘I Juan Serraller Prize’ by the Atenea Foundation and the ‘VI Missions Valencia 2030 Innovation Awards’. Author of various publications, she has participated in a number of research projects, including coordinating the report on the census of homeless people in Valencia (2021). Her areas of expertise include residential exclusion, homelessness, school segregation, HIV, anti-feminist discourse, the third sector, prison, and community aging in rural areas. Her academic and research experience is complemented by an extensive professional career as a social worker in services for the homeless in Valencia, coordinating the El Carme center of the Health and Community Foundation (2021-2024) and, previously, projects for the Natania Association (2012-2021).

Miguel Monsell Liern is a social worker, anthropologist and PhD from the University of Valencia in Social Welfare, Cooperation and Local Development. His research work has focused on the analysis of migration projects and social integration processes, with special attention to contexts of marginalisation and social exclusion. He has spent most of his professional career as a social worker in social organisations working with the Roma population and in the field of migration and asylum. Between 2019 and 2022, he combined this activity with that of associate professor in the Department of Sociology and Social Anthropology at the University of Valencia. Since June 2025, he has been a full-time assistant professor in the Department of Social Work and Social Services at this university. He has participated in two research contracts, one on the informal economy, precarious housing and immigration in Valencia and the other on a diagnosis of immigration in the city. The latter, published in the volume: Torres, F. (dir.) (2018). Hacia una ciudad intercultural. El vecindario inmigrante en Valencia. 2006-2016, won the 2019 Manuel Castillo Award from the Vice-Rectorate for Internationalisation and Cooperation at the University of Valencia.

Degree in Social Work and Sociology. PhD in Sociology. Master in Ethical Governance and Artificial Intelligence.

Lines of research: Social impact of digital transformation; Social and Employment Policies; Applied Ethics; Ethics and Artificial Intelligence; Citizen Participation.

Member of the Chair of Digital Gender Gap. UV.

Member of the research group on Social Structure and Social Inequality. IPRODES

Collaborates with research group TRANSICIONS: employment, social inequality. UV.

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

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[ Automatic translation ]

Jota (José Javier) Navarro-Pérez is a Doctor with Extraordinary Prize in Local and Territorial Development from the University of Valencia. He has a diploma in Social Work and a degree in Criminology. Professor of the Department of Social Work and Social Services, researcher of the GESinn Group and collaborator of the ARTEC Real-Time Graphic Engineering Group. His main lines of work focus on childhood and adolescence at risk, delinquency and youth transitions, violence and Latino gangs, social change and socialization processes, with attention to the social impact of digitization on adolescents and young people.
He teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in disciplines such as Social Work, Criminology, Psychology and Education, as well as Master's and Doctorate programs at different universities. It also participates in the training of university teachers through specialized courses in teaching methodologies, conflict management in the classroom and research strategies with mixed methods.
Author of more than 150 publications indexed in journals and databases of scientific impact. Coordinator of several books and monographs. Co-author - together with Nolo Tarín, in 2026 - of the book "Adolescentes in risk; experiences and reflections from the socio-educational intervention", Tirant lo Blanch.
He is currently IP of the European Project VET PARTICIPATION, RETENTION, AND EDUCATIONAL POLICIES IN THE WAKE OF COVID 19 – A CROSS-COUNTRY EXPLORATION (HORIZON-CL2-2024-TRANSFORMATIONS-01-10 - Grant Agreement ID: 101177858 - (2025-2027). This is a comparative European research focused on the analysis of the processes of identification, participation and student retention in Vocational Training (VET), with special attention to young people from vulnerable contexts.The study analyzes public policiesand educational strategies in the voices of educational communities in Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Scotland and Spain, based on the collaboration between universities and research teams in these countries.
He has directed competitive interdisciplinary research projects with areas of Engineering, Psychology, Sociology and Pedagogy, with results of transfer and social impact: https://dap360.es/](https://dap360.es/ https://www.uv.es/uvweb/universidad/es/videos/listado-videos/app-liad-prevencion-violencia-genero-adolescentes-1285868042985/Recurs.html?idu003d1286022575300]( https://www.uv.es/uvweb/universidad/es/videos/listado-videos/app-liad-prevencion-violencia-genero-adolescentes-1285868042985/Recurs.html?idu003d1286022575300
He is Coordinator of the Consolidated Group of Educational Innovation CIDES-CR Ref: GCID23-2577102 (Teaching Skills and Innovation in Higher Education - Risk Groups) and of the State Network of Teaching Innovation with Childhood, Adolescence, Youth and Society -REIDIAJS 8.0-. Teaching innovation materials prepared in documentary format: https://www.uv.es/catedra-luis-amigo/es/investigacion/proyectos/herramientas-audiovisuales/documentales-analisis-intervencion/ritmos-coma.html
https://www.uv.es/uvweb/universidad/es/universidad-valencia/video-clip-musical-mundo-cambia-cambias-tu-1285845048380/Recurs.html?idu003d1285978573445
https://www.youtube.com/watch?vu003dLntmFAvLjyU
He has directed 10 doctoral theses and 5 currently in process.
Visiting professor and researcher at the University of Cologne and University of Münster (Germany), University of Malta, Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium), Luis Amigó Catholic University Medellin and University of Manizales (Colombia), ESAN and National Mayor University of San Marcos (Lima), Salesian Polytechnic University and Simón Bolívar Andean University (Ecuador). He is a member of both national and international research networks:Ociogune, Estrategi@s, REDidi and REJS http://juventudysociedad.net/presentacion/
He is director of the Luis Amigó Chair at the University of Valencia for the promotion of childhood, adolescence and youth at risk https://www.uv.es/catedra-luis-amigo/es/catedra-luis-amigo.html
From 2022 he is director of the Permanent Training and Educational Innovation Service (SFPIE-UV).
More references:

Scientific Production https://producciocientifica.uv.es/investigadores/334204/detalle

ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6363-7154

Google Scholar https://scholar.google.com/citations?useru003da_nT6SkAAAAJ&hlu003des
 

Diploma in Social Work, Bachelor's Degree in Humanities and Master's Degree in Ethics and Democracy, Teaching Skills Course from the University of Valencia, Master's Degree in Occupational Risk Prevention, specialising in Psychosociology and Applied Ergonomics from Florida University.

Training in Clinical Supervision, Human Rights and Disability, Dependency Assessment, Family Therapy, Gender Equality Awareness, among others.

Active social worker as a permanent employee of the Regional Ministry of Health, working since 2016 in the Medium Stay Unit for people with mental health problems at the Padre Jofré Hospital. Previously, he worked in the same Regional Ministry in primary health care, chronic and long-term care, as well as in the mental health unit. He also has experience in rehabilitation and social integration centres for people with mental health problems, child protection centres and in the local area with regard to the Dependency Law.

Associate Professor in the Department of Social Work and Social Services at the Faculty of Social Sciences. Lecturer in the Bachelor's Degree in Social Work, teaching the following subjects: Social Work in Mental Health, International Welfare, Fundamentals of Social Work, Social Policy, Welfare Administration and Systems, Internships I and II, and TFG tutoring. Lecturer in the Master's Degree in Social and Health Care for Dependency and lecturer in the Inter-university Master's Degree in Social Work in the Health Field.

Member of the Bioethics Committee of the Valencian Community as a spokesperson.

External trainer in applied ethics, mental health, recovery-oriented model and disability, both for public entities (EVES, IVAFIQ, FVMP, Valencia City Council) and professional associations and private entities.

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PhD in Social Sciences from the University of Valencia, she is a lecturer in the Department of Social Work and Social Services. She is a researcher at the University Institute of Local Development attached to the INNODES Research Group. She teaches Social Projects in the Bachelor's Degree in Social Work and Social Work Internships. In the Inter-University Master's Degree in Development Cooperation, she teaches Methods, Techniques and Instruments for Local Development and Initiation to Research. She is the Director of the Specialisation Diploma in Evaluation and Management of International Development Cooperation Projects. Her main areas of research at national and international level (European Union) focus on:  

• Immigration, cultural diversity and Human Rights
• Development cooperation
• Social cohesion and social services in local development.
• Management and intervention policies with vulnerable groups and those at risk of exclusion.

Aleix Tomás is an associate professor in the Department of Labour. He holds a diploma in Social Education (UNED) and a degree in Social Work (UV), as well as a Master's degree in Mediation and Family Intervention (Universitat Jaume I).
His research training was developed in the field of health promotion, through the Valencian Institute of Public Health Studies and as a collaborator in the Department of Paediatrics (UV). Through the European Union's Human Capital and Mobility Programme, he worked at the University of Liverpool (Public Health Department).
He has more than 25 years of experience in the field of social intervention. His professional activity has been in primary care social services until 2017, and since then in the field of dependency care.