Rafael is a Project Manager at European Federation for Welding, Joining and Cutting with a vast experience in manufacturing. He is also a researcher at the IDMEC research unit since 2017, where his research work is focused on joining by forming, in which he published more than 25 scientific papers resulting from the development of different joining solutions.

With a strong connection to teaching, he was an Invited Assistant Professor at the University of Lisbon from 2017 to 2023 and currently, he is responsible for the course of Manufacturing Processes at the Atlântica University. Over the years, he taught content related to standardisation, quality control, manufacturing, additive manufacturing and non-conventional technologies. Simultaneously, he provided consultancy for some companies, contributing to the optimization and update of its processes, as well as implementing several significant improvements.

He is currently participating as an EWF delegate in ISO/TC 323 (Circular Economy) and ISO/TC 261 (Additive Manufacturing). Through the participation in these technical committees, he is able to simultaneously contribute with its research experience and its strong involvement in European RTD projects, to produce a significant impact on the future of standardisation activities.