Exclusive Interviews with the New SPOT Nordic Team: Íris Santos
- SPOT Nordic
- Jan 31
- 3 min read
Íris Santos is originally from São Brás de Alportel, in Algarve, and has lived in Tampere, Finland, since 2013. She began her career as a kindergarten teacher, but her passion for education led her to pursue a joint PhD between the University of Tampere and the University of Lisbon, where she studied the global dynamics of education policies. She is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Tampere, focusing on global education governance and cooperation between universities in Finland and African countries.
She is also part of SPOT Nordic’s board, aiming to support Portuguese researchers in the region and strengthen collaborations between Portugal and the Nordic countries.
▶️ Who are you? I'm from São Brás de Alportel, in the Algarve mountains. After living in various places inside and outside Portugal, I settled in Tampere, Finland. I moved here in 2013 to work as a kindergarten teacher, a job I did for 13 years before starting a PhD in 2016 on the global dynamics of education policies at the University of Tampere (and the University of Lisbon, in a joint program). 🎓🌍
In my (limited) free time, I like being with family and friends. We go hiking in the forest, play long board games or computer games. We also travel whenever we can. 🌲🎮
▶️ What do you do? Currently, I'm a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Tampere. My research focuses on analyzing the dynamics of global education governance, through the work and discourse of intergovernmental organizations like UNESCO, OECD, and the EU, as well as through developing partnerships between Finnish universities and those in African countries. 📚🌍
▶️ What is a typical day like? My workday starts at 8 AM. I can work from home or the university office, depending on what I feel like—usually I go to the office twice a week. 🏡🏢
Right now, I coordinate a cooperation project between Finnish and Rwandan universities (I visit Rwanda once or twice a year). This involves organizing meetings, activities, and trips to and from Rwanda. ✈️🤝
Besides coordination, I conduct academic research in the fields I mentioned earlier. My workday ends between 4 PM and 6 PM. After that, my husband and I often go to the gym, and on days I finish early, we walk around the lake near our home. Dinner is around 6:30 PM. 🏋️♀️🌅
▶️ What do you value most about living in your city and country?Tampere is a medium-sized city surrounded by forests and lakes but also offers good cultural options, like concerts and theater. 🌳🎭
▶️ What do you value in Portugal as an emigrant that you didn’t before?The people, the food, and the sun. 👨👩👧👦🍽️☀️
▶️ In your opinion, what are the priority areas for collaboration between Portugal and the Nordic countries?Inter-institutional collaborations, both between universities and between universities and industry. 🏛️🏭
▶️ Why did you decide to join SPOT Nordic?It’s important to be part of a community that makes us feel closer to our roots. 🤗🇵🇹
▶️ How can you contribute to the SPOT Nordic team?I want to help develop SPOT Nordic in a way that effectively supports Portuguese researchers working in the Nordic countries. This could include supporting the development of activities for researchers or encouraging collaborations between Portugal and the Nordic countries. 🔬🤝
▶️ Which SPOT Nordic projects interest you the most?Annual events, the Researcher of the Year Award, and other strategic projects for the next two years. 🏆📅
▶️ A final message you'd like to share with the world:"...I think I ran out of words!..." 🤯✍️
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