Alexandra Lopes is a professor of Sociology and researcher at the University of Porto. She holds a PhD in Social Policy from the London School of Economics, with a thesis on social protection and social assistance systems in familyist countries. Her research interests focus mainly on long-term care and welfare systems, which she approaches from the analytical frameworks of person-centred care, autonomous and independent living, and social inclusion. She is the author of over 80 publications and has participated in more than 15 research projects related to these topics. She often does consultancy work for national stakeholders to advise on innovative approaches to social care with a view on promoting community-based, inclusive and person-centred solutions. She has also been the director of the PhD in Social Sciences and Ageing, a joint programme of Portuguese and Galician universities. She currently coordinates the Portuguese research team that is part of the LeTs-Care consortium.