Principal Researcher (IR) and a member of esad—idea's Board of Directors. He has a degree in Design (2015) and a PhD in Communication Sciences (2006). He is a Coordinating Professor and a member of ESAD’s Board of Directors. He was a Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto and has worked with various educational institutions since 1998. 

He was a member of the evaluation panel in Architecture, Design and Urbanism of the FCT — Foundation for Science and Technology and is part of the evaluation team for the Design (specialty in Communication Design) and Multimedia study cycles of A3ES — Agency for Assessment and Accreditation of Higher Education. He was a tutor for the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s New Scientific Talents Program (Environmental Sustainability) in 2021.

José Bártolo was General Curator of the Porto Design Biennale; curator of the exhibitions D — Coleção em Exposição (2021), Millennials — New Millennium Design (2019), Sinal — 100 Anos de Design das Telecomunicações e dos Correios em Portugal (2019) and Para Ser Eterno Basta Ser Um Livro (2024) in conjunction with Jorge Silva; in publishing, he was co-editor of the magazines Pli Arte & Design (2011-2016) and Post Millennium — Critical Essays on Contemporary Tensions (2019).