Mário Rui Domingues Ferreira da Cruz is an Assistant Professor of Foreign Language Teaching (English and Spanish) at the Faculty of Education of the Technical University of Porto (the successor institution to the Polytechnic Institute of Porto, under Decree-Law No. 145/2026 of 17 July), where he coordinates the Master’s Degree in Teaching English in the 1st Cycle of Basic Education.

He is a member of the Scientific Council and the Pedagogical Council of the Faculty of Education of the Technical University of Porto, Director of the Technical University of Porto’s Centre for Pedagogical Innovation, and a member of the Advisory Board of INOV-NORTE – Centre of Excellence for Pedagogical Innovation in Northern Portugal.

He holds a PhD in Didactics and Teacher Education from the University of Aveiro (2011) and a PhD in Linguistic Studies from the University of Vigo (2019). He also holds three master’s degrees: in Language Didactics (University of Aveiro, 2005); in Teaching English and Spanish in the 1st Cycle of Basic Education (P.PORTO, 2012); and in Teaching English and Spanish in Basic and Secondary Education (University of Aveiro, 2015). He earned his bachelor’s degree in Teaching English and German from the University of Aveiro (2002).

He is an integrated researcher and a member of the Board of inED – Centre for Research and Innovation in Education, and actively participates in national and international research projects. He was principal investigator on three projects and a researcher on twelve others. His research focuses on teacher education, bilingual education, and the application of artificial intelligence in education.

Among his most relevant projects are Schoolers and Scholars (SnS), which explores the use of role-playing games as a teaching strategy in basic education; PEPPA 6/7, devoted to teaching English to children aged six and seven; and VarLang, which investigates the impact of linguistic and cultural varieties on foreign language teaching. He also takes part in initiatives such as ATHENA – Advanced Technology Higher Education Network Alliance and TAM-bMOOC, which focus on teachers’ professional development through MOOCs and communities of practice.

His scholarly output includes more than one hundred registered publications and other outputs, including journal and conference proceedings papers, book chapters, books, project reports, and scholarly editions of books and journal issues. He also regularly contributes to the organisation of, and participates in, national and international academic events.

He currently supervises two doctoral theses and several master’s dissertations. He has previously supervised or co-supervised dozens of master’s projects, as well as undergraduate, postgraduate, and postdoctoral projects. He has received nine awards, scholarships, and other distinctions, and conducts his research in collaboration with a broad national and international network of researchers.

His academic and scientific work falls within the Social Sciences, particularly Education Sciences, and the Humanities, with a special focus on foreign language teaching. His main research interests include the teaching of English and Spanish, the 1st Cycle of Basic Education, communicative and experiential approaches, linguistic and cultural varieties of Spanish, the CLIL methodology, digital gamification, bilingual education, and the integration of digital technologies and social media into teaching and learning.