About
I am a Director and member of the Executive Committee at the Jerónimo Martins Foundation. My first book, Gente Como Nós (in portuguese), was published in 2026.
In the past I was a researcher and member of faculty at Nova SBE — School of Business and Economics, and co-founder and Executive Director of Academia do Johnson and Orquestra Sem Fronteiras in Portugal. In the UK I was a Director at The Access Project and an Associate Director at Ambition Institute, a large organisation supporting teachers in schools serving disadvantaged areas.
I’m interested in topics such as childhood poverty, the impact of our socio-economic background, parents’ education levels (particularly our mother’s), early years interventions, refugee children, school exclusions, ethnicity, peer effects, social mobility, social mixing, social exclusion, class and social capital. I talk and write a lot about the impact of poverty and inequality in children and young people, with a particular focus on evidence-based solutions such as the impact of teachers in schools and on students’ adult lives, early childhood interventions, teacher market, schools’ autonomy, tuition fees, technology & innovation, wider budgets and education policy. You will often find me wondering what the true meaning of “merit” is. In my day-to-day, I design, implement, and/or manage projects in non-profits. Either developing and progressing fundraising strategies, engaging in external affairs and, of course, debating policy. Philanthropy has been an essential part of my career to date. I have also acted as an expert panel member or as an independent advisor to national parliaments, government departments, heads of state, and of course NGOs and public sector bodies. You can find a selection of my thoughts and writings in print media, national TV appearances, and podcasts in next section of this website. I'm the "UK correspondent" for Iniciativa Educação.
Miguel Herdade investigador
Miguel Herdade autor
Miguel Herdade researcher
Miguel Herdade author