Home 5 People 5 Jorge Vaz

Jorge Vaz

Orcid profile

Ciência Vitae profile



Research Interests
Genetic Editing
Biotechnologies
Anthropology of Science
Sociotechnical Imaginaries
Scientific Ethics

Jorge Vaz is currently pursuing a PhD degree in Social Anthropology at the University of Coimbra and a researcher at the Research Centre for Anthropology and Health (CIAS). His work sits at the intersection of anthropology and Science and Technology Studies (STS), focusing on the ethical, social, and political dimensions of technoscientific innovation. He holds BA and MA degrees in Anthropology from the University of Coimbra. His master’s research offered an ethnographic account of the moral dilemmas and future imaginaries of scientists engaged in gene therapy and genome editing research in Portugal.
In his doctoral project, Jorge Vaz extends this inquiry through a comparative study between Portugal and China, examining how scientists in both contexts imagine the futures of biotechnology and negotiate the ethical implications of their work. His broader interests include the anthropology of technoscience, the ethics of innovation, and the comparative study of scientific imaginaries across cultural settings. Through this line of research, he aims to contribute to a critical understanding of how moral reasoning, institutional frameworks, and social imagination shape the trajectories of contemporary science and technology.

Research Projects
The current PhD research is a comparative ethnographic study of scientists’ ethical reflections and imagined futures of gene editing in Portugal and China. It explores how researchers anticipate the social, moral, and political implications of their work within different cultural and institutional contexts. Building on the master’s research on Portuguese scientists, this project examines how ethical reasoning and professional practices are intertwined with broader social imaginaries. By engaging with scientists across career stages, I investigate how visions of possible biotechnological futures shape decision-making and research trajectories. Through this work, I aim to contribute to the anthropology of science and Science and Technology Studies (STS), highlighting the co-production of scientific knowledge, ethical deliberation, and societal expectations. The project also addresses questions about the global circulation of scientific norms and the ways local contexts mediate the interpretation and implementation of emerging technologies.

Research Projects

The current PhD research is a comparative ethnographic study of scientists’ ethical reflections and imagined futures of gene editing in Portugal and China. It explores how researchers anticipate the social, moral, and political implications of their work within different cultural and institutional contexts.
Building on the master’s research on Portuguese scientists, this project examines how ethical reasoning and professional practices are intertwined with broader social imaginaries. By engaging with scientists across career stages, I investigate how visions of possible biotechnological futures shape decision-making and research trajectories.
Through this work, I aim to contribute to the anthropology of science and Science and Technology Studies (STS), highlighting the co-production of scientific knowledge, ethical deliberation, and societal expectations. The project also addresses questions about the global circulation of scientific norms and the ways local contexts mediate the interpretation and implementation of emerging technologies.

Creative Output
MA Thesis: “Narrativas do (In)evitável: Visões dos cientistas portugueses na vanguarda das terapias génicas sob uma lente antropológica”, University of Coimbra, 2025