I am a socio-cultural anthropologist based in Geneva, Switzerland. Before joining the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (IHEID) in 2013, I lived in Chicago where I received my PhD in anthropology. I’m originally from Lisbon, Portugal.

My work lies at the intersection of anthropology and history. My research interests focus on natural resources and extractive economies, markets and commodities, state and corporations, security and surveillance in postcolonial Africa (Angola and Mozambique). I teach courses in economic, political, and environmental anthropology.

I am currently working on my first book manuscript, titled “The Rough and the Cut: Secrecy and Surveillance in Angola’s Diamond Mines”. The book is an ethnography of everyday life inside of a diamond mine in Angola. It examines the relationship between secrecy and surveillance in the social life of capital, bringing together the problem of security and corporate governance with the global extraction and circulation of an iconic commodity. In a parallel research project, I explore the qualities and technologies of transparency in the global gemstone industry, namely in Swiss international diamond markets. I also have an on-going interest in digital economies and bitcoin mining.