C. Barreto de Almeida (Cecília) PhD

I am a socio-legal researcher and lecturer working at the intersection of law, public policy, and digital governance. My work combines legal analysis with empirical research. In my postdoctoral research at Radboud University, I focus on public values in the digitalisation processes within government. The project examines value alignment and misalignment between artificial intelligence systems, organisational goals, and employees' values in the workplace. My PhD research, conducted at the University of São Paulo and the University of Groningen (double degree, cotutelle), examines the relationship between digital government and its citizens. In my dissertation ("Inequality and Inclusion in Online Public Services: Digital Government Policies and Digital Divides in Brazil and the Netherlands"), I analysed how governments' digital transformation strategies create, reproduce, or remove barriers to access public services for people in vulnerable situations. Using comparative case studies in Brazil and the Netherlands, I combined document analysis, UX research, and qualitative interviews to understand how two different governments shaped their policies to address digital divides. Throughout my career, I have combined research with institutional leadership and teaching. I have coordinated interdisciplinary research centres at the University of São Paulo focused on inclusion, discrimination, and diversity, and I have managed academic programmes and teams in higher education settings.

• iHub - Interdisciplinary research hub on digitalization and society