Aranceta Reboredo, Olatz

Olatz Aranceta-Reboredo holds a PhD in Communication from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra (Barcelona, 2025). They hold a BA in English Studies from the University of the Basque Country (2020) and an MA in International Studies on Media, Power and Difference from Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF). Their doctoral thesis, "Compassion in (S)Pain: How Interest Groups Perpetuate Animal Captivity and Exhibition in Spain", examined public and media discourses that legitimise animal-based entertainment and mapped how institutional and industry actors construct narratives that sustain social support for their practices while countering growing ethical concerns. Their research adopts critical and interdisciplinary perspectives, focusing on critical animal studies, persuasive communication, and cultural and media studies. Olatz has worked as a lecturer and researcher at UPF and was the project manager and a member of the working team of COMPASS (Lobbying and Compassion. Interest Groups, Discourse and Nonhuman Animals in Spain), as well as the co-editor-in-chief of the Animal Ethics Review Journal since 2024. They are currently part of the research team of the PESTS research project (Influence, Governance, and Narratives: Interest Groups and Policy Dynamics Shaping the Discourse on 'Invasive Species' and 'Pests') at UPF and the "Experiències educatives interdisciplinàries al voltant de la qüestió animal. Creativitat i pensament crític" at Universitat de València. They have authored more than ten academic publications, including articles in peer-reviewed journals and academic publishers.