Sport Evolution Alliance team combines highly specialised experts in the field of Project Management, Monitoring and Implementation, Research, Marketing and Dissemination, with a worldwide network of sport stakeholders. We are capable of working in different areas and contexts in the field of sport. The diversity of experiences and backgrounds of the team’s experts is an added value for our performance.
Rui Vieira
Rui Vieira is a founding partner and the Director of Sport Evolution Alliance. He has vast experience in Erasmus + Sport Programme, mainly managing European grants as Project Manager. His areas of expertise are dual career, social inclusion and equal opportunities, and awareness of the importance of health-enhancing physical activity.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Sports Science, with a specialisation in training of psychological skills in elite athletes and in professional sport management, and a master’s degree in High-Performance Sport.
Rui Vieira was the Performance Director of the Portuguese Judo Federation, winning the only medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics for the country in all sports. He also was Performance Director in the Saudi Arabia Judo Federation and Technical Adviser in the Saudi Arabia Olympic Committee.
Tiago Ribeiro
Tiago Ribeiro is a founding partner and Audit Committee member of Sport Evolution Alliance. He is a researcher with experience in the sport management field and, in particular, on national and international sport events. His areas of expertise are social and educational capital, impacts and legacies through major sport events and video gaming environments. Tiago is also an expert in statistical modelling and latent growth.
He has a Ph.D. in Sport Management, and he has successfully completed the “Administration Post-doctorate Programme” at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. He was also a research fellow in Olympics Management, co-funded by Carlos Chagas Foundation and “PhD Student Award Research Grant”, co-funded by Olympic Studies Centre. In 2022, Tiago received an honourable mention by the Portuguese Olympic Committee for his research focused on Olympic Education.
Tiago Ribeiro is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Human Kinetics at the University of Lisbon. For many years he has organised some of the most prestigious sport events in Portugal and Brazil, and he was also research manager at Augusto Motta University Centre. He is a member of the Portuguese Olympic Academy, Portuguese Sport Management Association and Centre for Tourism, Sustainability and Well-being.
Nuno Dias
Nuno Dias is a founding partner and Vice President of the General Assembly of Sport Evolution Alliance. He has vast experience in marketing, communication and project dissemination. His areas of expertise are dual career, sustainability and health and population.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and he has also participated in the YODA Mentors Project, co-funded by the Erasmus + Programme. Currently, he is attending a master’s degree in Sport, Education and Physical Literacy. He is a member of the Pedagogical Council of the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport.
Nuno Dias is the current President of the Portuguese Karate Federation, one of the country’s biggest sport federations. He is also a professional journalist and a Karate, Judo and BJJ coach. He was a high-performance karate player, having recently been assigned as an EcoAthlete, being an ambassador for the awareness of climate change and environmental problems. Through the years he has acquired a worldwide network of sport stakeholders.
Thiago Santos
Thiago Santos is a founding partner and President of the Audit Committee of Sport Evolution Alliance. He is a researcher with vast experience in sport management, mainly managing national and international sport programs, including Erasmus + Sport projects, such as “Good Governance Needs to Access and Inclusion” and “EMPLOYS”. His areas of expertise are management, governance, and consumer behaviour in sports organisations. Thiago is also an expert in multifactorial research methods, validation of scales and qualitative research.
He holds a Ph.D. in Sport Management, and he has successfully completed the Post-doctorate in Physical Education at the Federal University of Paraná, Brazil.
Thiago Santos is an Assistant Professor at the Europeia University in Lisbon. Previously he was an invited Assistant Professor at The Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon and Leading Researcher at the Federal University of Paraná, Brazil. He has co-authored two books and received an honourable mention from the Portuguese Olympic Committee and the Millennium BCP Foundation. He is a member and former president of the Brazilian Association for Sport Management.
Luiz Haas
Luiz Haas is a founding partner and President of the General Assembly of Sport Evolution Alliance. He is a researcher with vast experience in sport management, mainly managing national and international sport programs, including Erasmus + Sport projects, such as “EMPLOYS”. His areas of expertise are management and governance of sport organisations and social responsibility.
He holds a master’s degree in Sport Management and currently he is a Ph.D. student in the Sociology and Sport Management Program at the Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon.
Luiz Haas works as an Assistant Professor at Europeia University in Lisbon, and he’s also a consultant in Sport Governance. He has recently worked at Brazilian research group on National Sports Governance Observer. He has organised many congresses and seminars regarding sport management and he is a member and former president of the Brazilian Association for Sport Management.
Katja Prodan
Katja Prodan is a partner and Project Manager of Sport Evolution Alliance. As a Project Manager, she has demonstrated exceptional skills in managing and coordinating European projects, especially those under the Erasmus+ Programme. Her role involves writing proposals, managing project teams, and ensuring effective monitoring and reporting. This experience underscores her adeptness in handling complex projects in the sports and education domains.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from the Faculty of Education in Ljubljana. She has expanded her expertise with specialised training in sports and health, including certifications as a Judo Coach from the Slovenian Judo Federation, a Trainer for Sports Activities for Preschool Children from the Faculty of Sport Ljubljana, and a Trainer for Safe Pregnancy Programs from the Association of Physiotherapists of Slovenia. In 2021, she enhanced her project management skills with a Certificate from the Zavod Ypsilon Project Management Academy.
Katja Rudas is the current Education Commissioner in the European Judo Union, the continental judo federation. She is also a member of the Tender Commission and Gender Equality Commission at the Slovenian Judo Federation.
Leonardo Cunha
Manager and founding partner of the WeCare community, Leonardo Cunha, has been working for about a decade with human development projects, especially applied to the areas of Youth, Sports, Branding, Olympism and Social Entrepreneurship in the Cabo Verde market and Portuguese-speaking countries. He is one of the world’s Leading Experts on the usage of Olympic Solidarity funds, a renowned Internacional Speaker, and a Master Facilitator. In addition to being a professional trainer, he was also a guest professor in the master’s degree in Sports Management held at the University of Cabo Verde, a lecturer at the Intercontinental University of Cabo Verde – UNICA, in the degree in Sports Sciences. Since 2022, Leonardo Cunha has also served as Executive Director of ACOLOP – Association of Portuguese-speaking Olympic Committees, in addition to being Project Manager of SEA – Sport Evolution Alliance and Manager of the Club Licensing Department of the Cabo Verdean Football Federation.
Leonardo Cunha has followed a continuous training in business and project management, always with the mission of promoting the achievement of the Millennium Sustainable Development Goals.
Priscila Marconcin
Priscila Marconcin is a researcher in the field of Exercise and Health, focusing on changes related to the aging process, physical exercise, and health. She has numerous publications in peer-reviewed indexed journals.
She holds a Ph.D. in Physical Activity and Health, from the Faculty of Human Kinetics, at the University of Lisbon. Additionally, she completed a post-doctoral research project on “Mental health, physical activity, and health behaviors among European adults and older adults: the survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE)”.
Priscila is actively involved in the European Physical Activity Guidelines to Tackle Depressive Symptoms (EUPAG-DS) project, funded by the Erasmus+ program. She is the founder and current coordinator of the community program PLENO, which has been serving individuals with knee osteoarthritis since 2015.
Currently, she serves as the coordinator of the Master’s program in Exercise and Health at the Piaget Institute in Almada. Furthermore, she holds the position of Assistant Professor in the Bachelor’s program in Physical Education and Sports at the Piaget Institute in Almada, as well as Assistant Professor in the Master’s program in Physical Activity and Health at the Polytechnic Institute of Beja.
Priscila is a member of the Interdisciplinary Centre for the Study of Human Performance (CIPER) and contributes as a researcher at the Faculty of Health Sciences, Universidad Autónoma de Chile.
Sofie Smismans
Sofie Smismans is a partner at Sport Evolution Alliance with expertise in sport management, sport psychology, and sport sociology. She holds a PhD in Movement and Sport Sciences and a master’s in Management. Since 2017, she has been a researcher and lecturer at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, coordinating European projects like Erasmus+ Sport and IOC initiatives. Sofie teaches courses on sport policy and management. Passionate about sport in general and football (soccer) in particular, her interests focus on leveraging sport for societal outcomes such as inclusion, gender equality, employability and skill development.
Vanessa Santos
Vanessa Santos is a Portuguese clinical exercise physiologist, lecturer, and researcher with extensive experience in health-focused sport programmes and international cooperation projects. She holds a PhD in Human Motricity – specialising in Health and Physical Conditioning – from the Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisbon.
Currently, Vanessa is an Assistant Professor at Instituto Piaget de Almada and a researcher at ICPOL (R&D Unit of the Higher Institute of Police Sciences and Internal Security), where she leads and collaborates on applied research in physical fitness, cardiovascular health, and tactical populations.
Her professional background spans academic, clinical, and community settings. She has contributed to cardiac rehabilitation initiatives across several major hospitals in Portugal and plays an active role in community-based programmes promoting physical activity for vulnerable groups.
Vanessa has authored over 30 peer-reviewed scientific publications, participated in multiple EU-funded research and development projects, and regularly serves as a speaker, evaluator, and advisor in international health and sport conferences.
Passionate about the societal impact of sport, Vanessa brings a strong focus on evidence-based practice, lifelong physical activity, and the integration of health outcomes in sport-based interventions.
