Team
Beatriz Rodríguez-Labajos
Principal Investigator
Beatriz Rodríguez -Labajos (PhD in Environmental Sciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) is a distinguished researcher at UPF's Department of Political and Social Sciences. Originally from Barcelona, she has lived for extended periods of time in Latin America and the US.
Her research work focuses on how socioenvironmental transformations advance while remaining inclusive. For years, this puzzle has motivated her work, collaborating with underrepresented people who resist unequal ecological distribution effectively in marginalized areas of Latin America, South East Asia, Europe and the US. Her work is rooted in critical social sciences, placing ecological economics and political ecology at the forefront in tackling the challenge of global environmental injustice. Currently she is focused on bridging the gap between social environmental sciences and information and communication technologies, when it comes to explaining the deployment of technological innovations vis-à-vis situated perspectives on environmental change.
Constanza Monterrubio Solís
Postdoctoral Researcher
Originally from Mexico, Constanza is a postdoctoral researcher at the JHU-UPF Public Policy Center. She holds a PhD in Biodiversity Management, a Masters in Conservation Biology from the University of Kent (UK), and a Bachelors in Biology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM).
Her work is rooted in the intersection of biodiversity conservation and community-based natural resource management. Her doctoral research focused on the interplay between Indigenous governance systems and external environmental regulations in Oaxaca, Southern Mexico. Constanza’s expertise extends to Chile, where she was a postdoctoral researcher at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Campus Villarrica, within the CIIR-CEDEL. Her research there explored the role of family-owned indigenous and campesino homegardens in preserving agrobiodiversity, biocultural memory and food practices, and their contribution to resilience in local food systems amid global pressures. Throughout her career, Constanza has worked closely with indigenous and rural communities focusing on biocultural heritage conservation and community-led initiatives. Her research delves into agrobiodiversity, social-ecological resilience, and the continuity of biocultural memory in the face of environmental and social challenges.
Carolina Gallardo
Project Manager
She is responsible for the administrative and financial management of the grant and research team, including budget planning and monitoring, resource allocation, HR recruitment and selection processes, staff hiring, reporting, and compliance with ERC rules. She supports the Principal Investigator in shaping and implementing the project's strategy by coordinating research activities, logistics, fieldwork and dissemination efforts. Her role includes facilitating effective internal and external communication, delivery of scientific and technical outputs, and ensuring adherence to ethical and quality standards. As the central liaison between University departments and services, Carol fosters collaboration and provides the operational support necessary for a successful execution of the project.
Clara Vázquez Pulido
Communication Manager
Clara Vázquez holds a degree in Journalism from Blanquerna – Ramon Llull University – and a postgraduate degree in Design from IDEP Barcelona. A native of Barcelona, she brings over a decade of experience in communication, design, dissemination and advocacy across higher education, the third sector and media. Prior to joining UPF, she served as Head of Communication at CCAR (Comissió Catalana d'Acció pel Refugi), where she led the institutional communication and the advocacy campaigns on human rights. She also worked at the International Department of the Universitat de Barcelona and as a journalist for organisations such as the European Commission or Diversa Audiovisual.
Anna Schlingmann
Research Support Staff
Anna Schlingmann (PhD in Environmental Sciences, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona) is in charge of creating and maintaining the project’s database and supporting data analysis at a global scale. Originally from Germany, she has been based in Barcelona for several years.
Over recent years, her research has become increasingly interdisciplinary by acknowledging the diverse interrelations within social-ecological systems. Most of her work relates to climate justice, sustainability, resilience, agrobiodiversity, and biocultural diversity. During her doctoral thesis she assessed climate change impacts and adaptation in Indigenous and local communities around the world. By combining different knowledge and value systems, she examined crucial socio-economic, cultural, and environmental drivers and barriers that support or impede the implementation of adaptation measures. She worked with local communities in Senegal and Argentina.
Mia Lanča
Collaborator
Mia Lanča is a master's student at the University of Pompeu Fabra, whose interests lie at the intersection of the just green and digital transition. She is particularly interested in the emancipatory and sustainability potentials of open, bottom-up digital technologies. Her current research focuses on the development of grassroots digital sovereignty initiatives in Barcelona.