About

RESEARCHER, DATA ANALYST, AND PROJECT MANAGER

My scientific background is in the physics of complex systems. I hold BSc and MSc degrees in physics by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and a PhD in bioinformatics by the Free University of Berlin (FU) and the Max Planck Research School in Computational Biology and Scientific Computing (IMPRS-CBSC). Throughout my career, I have gathered extensive interdisciplinary experience on climate science, human health and financial modelling working at various high-level academic institutions and non-governmental organizations.

At UNAM, I collaborated with biologists and physicists from the Institute of Ecology, the Physics Institute and the Center for Complexity Sciences (C3) to develop a boolean model simulating cell differentiation in Arabidopsis thaliana roots. At FU, I developed algorithms using complex networks and computational topology to successfully identify and predict transitions in multidimensional dynamical systems. At the Department of Education and Psychology of FU, I worked alongside psychologists and bioinformaticians in the analysis and prediction of psycho-pathological trajectories in depression using machine learning algorithms. As project manager at OpenOil UG, I contributed to the development of a global practitioner network that produced cashflow models and impactful reports for 12 oil & mining extractive projects of public interest.

One of my most formative workplaces has been the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, where I was part of the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISIMIP) from 2017 to 2023, and Diversity Representative from 2021 to 2023. At ISIMIP, I managed multiple initiatives for the analysis of current and future impacts of climate change under various climate and socioeconomic scenarios. I conducted climate impacts simulations on drought, explored indicators of climate change impacts, contributed to the development of ISIMIP research protocols and definitions, developed and implemented data management plans for the the ISIMIP repository, offered technical support to over 200 climate researchers worldwide, and restructured operations and communication structures in the health research sectors. This last task involved facilitating communication between the core project team, the health sector coordinators and researchers from various disciplines worldwide, to consolidate the food security and nutrition (FS-N) and labor research sectors.

Through extensive experience in scientific modelling, quantitative analysis, interdisciplinary research, science communication, and community organizing, I have honed the ability to bridge the gap between scientific research and real-world applications. This skill set, as well as my experience collaborating with diverse academics, artists and civil society organizations, is instrumental in contributing to projects aimed at understanding, assessing and mitigating the environmental and social impacts of the dominant growth-based political economy.

Alongside my academic career, I’ve advocated for environmental and human rights protection, with a focus on climate justice. Since 2012, I am part of México vía Berlín e.V. (MvB), and since 2022 I am Director of the Board. At MvB I have investigated the impacts of infrastructure mega-projects, trade agreements, regulatory mechanisms and governmental policies in Mexico and Germany, fostering collaboration among organizations and policymakers in both countries to address human rights and environmental challenges. Currently, I represent MvB at the German Coordination for Human Rights in Mexico (DMRKM e.V.), where we advocate for human rights and environmental protection in Mexico before German and European parliamentarians.

Since 2020, I investigate the expansion of oil palm in Mexico and analyze the impact of governmental policies and agricultural practices involved in this process. In 2023, I co-founded the Observatorio Agroindustrial en México (OBSAM). In the OBSAM platform, we display geolocated data for monitoring the expansion of oil palm plantations in Mexico. This research has involved ample contact with affected communities, especially with women-led projects of resistance to the expansion of this crop, and we have put great effort in producing outcomes that capture their needs, values and priorities, with the aim of contributing to the regeneration of their disrupted social practices.