Editorial | PhD in Contemporary Studies: The Experience of Three Researchers from CEIS20

Interdisciplinary practice, based between the doctoral students' academic career and the demands of the professional context, allows for a more critical and in-depth reading of contemporary reality. Doctoral students and recent PhDs in Contemporary Studies (DEC) at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Coimbra (CEIS20-UC) recognise and value the programme's knowledge and scientific solidity, characteristics that enable them to analyse complex phenomena and develop multidisciplinary approaches with concrete application in professional practice.

CEIS20-UC is therefore a space rich in interdisciplinary experiences, characterised by the openness and friendliness of its professionals. Particularly noteworthy is the way in which knowledge is produced and shared in dynamic and collaborative contexts, such as classes, conferences, workshops and lectures with nationally and internationally recognised experts. There are also initiatives for complementary training, joint projects, joining research groups and encouraging participation in academic events, promoting national and international mobility.

From the bread we eat to the emotions we experience in the classroom, the university is a living urban prototype: a space where knowledge circulates, is experienced and disseminated, assuming a mission that goes beyond market logic. At DEC, there are students whose activity is entirely focused on research, as well as those who combine their professional activity with a PhD. Both cases present demanding challenges, each in their own way, but which are feasible. This is because the programme's interdisciplinary matrix contributes to the development of critical and analytical capacity, promoting the articulation between theory and practice in real contexts.

The doctoral students and researchers integrated into CEIS-20 have multiple trajectories, marked by different objectives and areas of activity, although intellectually challenging, which promotes experiences that contribute to personal, academic and professional enrichment. In this context, the development of projects with scientific evidence in a global ecosystem of knowledge production is strengthened by relationships and dialogues with mentoring teams, which consolidates an essential link in the successful completion of this PhD.

Diego Alatorre Guzmán. PhD student in Contemporary Studies at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Coimbra (CEIS20-UC). Fellow of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). Professor at the Industrial Design Research Centre (UNAM). E-mail: diego.alatorre@cidi.unam.mx

Gabriela Santi Pacheco. PhD student in Contemporary Studies at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Coimbra (CEIS20-UC), PhD student in History at the Postgraduate Programme in History at the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (PPGH/UFJF) and Fellow of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). E-mail: gabriela.pacheco@uc.pt

Sandra Lourenço, PhD. Researcher at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Coimbra (CEIS20-UC). Directorate-General for Health | Centre Regional Delegation, Portugal. E-mail: sandra.lourenco1978@gmail.com