José Carlos Pimenta Machado holds a degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Aveiro, a postgraduate qualification in Environmental Engineering from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, a Master’s in Public Administration from Universidade Católica, and has completed the Advanced Studies Course in “National Defense.”

He has dedicated his professional life to the environmental field, particularly in matters related to water resources management.

Since September 2, 2024, he has been serving as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Portuguese Environment Agency (APA). From May 2018 until early September 2024, he held the position of Vice-Chairman of the APA Board of Directors, both in an acting capacity and on secondment.

From 2011 to April 2018, he was Regional Administrator of the Northern Hydrographic Region Administration (ARH Norte), a decentralized department of the APA in northern Portugal.

He also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Polis Litoral Norte (in liquidation) from 2013 to 2021, as well as Chairman of the Liquidation Committee of Polis Ria de Aveiro since 2018.

In 2018, he became a board member of the Institute of Hydraulics and Water Resources (IHRR) of the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Porto, and since 2023, he has been a member of the General Assembly of the Institute for Sustainable Construction (ICS) of the University of Porto, for the 2023–2026 term. The ICS was established from the merger of the Institute of Construction (IC), the Institute of Hydraulics and Water Resources (IHRH), and the Laboratory for Testing of Construction Materials (LEMC).