Dr. Dora Sampaio

Dora Sampaio is an Assistant Professor in Transnational Mobilities and Wellbeing at the Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning. Her work examines how mobility reshapes lives and inequalities across different stages of the life course, with a focus on their intersection with gender, care, emotions and sociodemographic change. She uses ethnographic, multi-method, and creative qualitative approaches to capture everyday experiences. She currently leads the European Research Council (ERC) funded project, RETIREWEL, which explores retirement across six countries through a tripartite analysis of the welfare state, family care networks, and the retirement industry. Prior to joining Utrecht University, she held academic and visiting positions in Germany, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Brazil, and the United States. 

As more lives stretch across places and borders, how does this reshape inequalities for individuals and families?

Dora Sampaio has been a member of the Utrecht Young Academy, a bridge between young and talented researchers, since 2026.