Welcome!

I am an invited assistant professor of political science at EEG-UMinho and Iscte–IUL. I am also an associate researcher at ICS, University of Lisbon, where I earned my PhD in September 2025. Previously, I was a visiting doctoral researcher at the EUI and IPP-CSIC, and have taught at UBI and Lusófona.

I study how political parties adapt, endure, or fracture under grassroots pressure. Specifically, I am interested in the behavior of party members and voters in destabilizing — or renewing — the foundations of party politics, driving change and representation. I am also interested in how marginalized groups, especially young people, gain access to and act within political institutions, and what party organizations (such as youth wings) do to channel (or suppress) their demands.

Methodologically, I design and conduct field and survey experiments with party elites, members, and voters. I am also interested in quasi-experimental methods for causal inference.

My work has been published in the European Journal of Political Research, West European Politics, and International Political Science Review, among other outlets. My first single-authored book on youth and politics (for a wider audience) is under contract with Fundação Francisco Manuel dos Santos.

I am on the academic job market.

Feel free to get in touch at hugoferrinholopes@eeg.uminho.pt.