Born December 4, 1946 in Rio de Janeiro. Brazilian-born Portuguese physicist, systems theorist, materials scientist and writer. He is best known for his contributions to the theory of long waves in the areas of socio-economic development, technological evolution, energy systems, materials science, and the analysis of world systems. He is currently a professor at Atlântica - Instituto Universtário.

In March 2002, he was awarded the 2001 Elsevier Award for Best Paper for an article proposing a model that explains the mechanism behind long economic waves (Kondratieff Waves), and in 2006 another paper of his (on Internet growth dynamics) received an Honorable Mention from Elsevier. In 2004 he was awarded the Kondratiev Silver Medal of the International National Academy of Sciences. The Kondratiev Foundation and the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences (RANS) for his written contribution to the understanding of Kondratiev waves, and in 2005 he was awarded the title of honorary member of the International Kondratiev Foundation.