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University of Minho – Department of Earth Sciences

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Joana de Castro Rodrigues

Joana de Castro Rodrigues

Summary

Joana de Castro Rodrigues has been an integrated member of the Institute of Earth Sciences (ICT) since 2026 and is a geologist at the Naturtejo UNESCO Global Geopark, where she has worked since 2008. She graduated in Geology (Teaching) from the University of Porto (2004), completed an MSc in Geological Heritage and Geoconservation at the University of Minho (2008), on the geological heritage of the Douro International Natural Park, and received her PhD in Geology from the University of Minho in 2026, as an FCT fellow, with a thesis on the role of science communication in the geosciences, focusing on UNESCO Global Geoparks.

She previously taught in secondary schools and was a researcher at the State University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Her work covers science and geoscience communication, geological heritage, geoconservation, geoparks, geotourism and geoproducts.

She represents the Portuguese group of ProGEO, sits on the Outreach Committee of the European Geosciences Union and is a member of the UNESCO Chair on Geodiversity and Geoconservation.

Compiled from: CIÊNCIAVITAE, ORCID

Research interests

  • Science communication
  • Geoscience communication
  • Geological heritage
  • Geoconservation
  • Geoparks
  • Geotourism and geoproducts

Education

  • 2026
    PhD in Geology (Geoconservation, Environmental Geology and Geological Resources)
    University of Minho
    Thesis: «The role of science communication in geosciences: the case of UNESCO Global Geoparks»
  • 2008
    MSc in Geological Heritage and Geoconservation
    University of Minho
    Thesis: «Património Geológico no Parque Natural do Douro Internacional: caracterização, quantificação da relevância e estratégias de valorização dos geossítios»
  • 2004
    BSc in Geology (Teaching)
    University of Porto

Current position

  • 2008 –
    Geologist
    Naturtejo UNESCO Global Geopark
  • 2026 –
    Integrated member
    Institute of Earth Sciences (ICT)

Recent publications

  1. Innovative Geoproduct Development for Sustainable Tourism: The Case of the Safi Geopark Project (Marrakesh–Safi Region, Morocco). Sustainability, 2025. doi:10.3390/su17146478
  2. Geoproducts – Innovative development strategies in UNESCO Geoparks: Concept, implementation methodology, and case studies from Naturtejo Global Geopark, Portugal. International Journal of Geoheritage and Parks, 2021. doi:10.1016/j.ijgeop.2020.12.003
  3. Geoscientists' views about science communication: predicting willingness to communicate geoscience. Geoscience Communication, 2023. doi:10.5194/gc-6-15-2023
  4. Science Communication Practices in UNESCO Global Geoparks: A Benchmark Analysis. Geosciences, 2025. doi:10.3390/geosciences15030078
  5. DRASTICAI, a new index for groundwater vulnerability assessment—a portuguese case study. Geosciences, 2021. doi:10.3390/geosciences11060228
  6. Traditional Ceramic Handicraft in Safi (Marrakesh-Safi Region, Morocco): a Communication Tool for Geotourism. Geoheritage, 2025. doi:10.1007/s12371-024-01045-6

Publications since 2021 (ORCID and OpenAlex), ordered by the impact of the journal or series (two-year mean citedness in OpenAlex).

Full list of publications on ORCID

Information compiled from public sources: CIÊNCIAVITAE, ORCID, OpenAlex, Instituto de Ciências da Terra (photograph), accessed on 20-10-2026. To correct or complete this profile, use the website’s content manager or contact the Department’s Director.