Short Biography: 

Alvaro Comin graduated in History (1987), and has both a Masters and a PhD degree in Sociology, all from the University of São Paulo. His Masters dissertation (1995) focused on the role of trade unions in the transition from military dictatorship to democracy in Brazil. His PhD thesis (2003) dealt with the impact of economic restructuring and liberalisation on employment and labour market regulation.

Comin is Professor in the Department of Sociology, University of São Paulo. From 1999 to 2010 his teaching responsibilities included "Sociological theory" and "Methodology of research" for undergraduates in Social Science; "Sociology of Latin American Development" for undergraduates in International Relations; and "Economic Sociology" and "Comparative Studies of Emerging Countries" for postgraduates. During that period he also supervised several Masters and PhD students.

Comin has also worked, since 1986, at the Brazilian Centre for Analysis and Planning (Cebrap), a very well-established non-profit making research institution based in São Paulo, of which he was the President between 2005 and 2008. At Cebrap he coordinates the group on Labour and Development Studies, which in the last ten years has conducted research work in areas that include urban studies, economic and industrial restructuring, labour markets, and higher education. He was also the editor of the centre’s journal Novos Estudos Cebrap.