Alejandra is a social scientist, and PhD researcher from Ecuador, focused on building interdisciplinary bridges between environmental sociology, applied anthropology, and political ecology. Her research interests encompass just transition studies, energy sovereignty, and climate justice, with particular attention to renewable community-energy initiatives. She holds two bachelor’s degrees, both completed with highest distinction: Sociology (University of Cuenca) and Applied Anthropology (Universidad Politécnica Salesiana), whilst specializing in Science and Technology Studies by completing the postgraduate diploma in Technology, Politics and Subjectivity at CLACSO (Argentina). She was awarded an Erasmus Mundus scholarship to pursue the Joint Master’s Programme in Transition, Innovation and Sustainability Environments (TISE), delivered across four European universities: University College Dublin (Ireland), NOVA University of Lisbon (Portugal), Danube University Krems (Austria) and Poznan University of Economics and Business (Poland). Her master’s dissertation, “Narratives of extractivism: How do they shape energy transition imaginaries in mining contexts of Ecuador and Portugal” (2024), explores the extractivism in the Global North and South, through a comparative study of mining in the Barroso region (Portugal) and in the Andean paramos (Ecuador). This research analyses the expansion of commodity-frontiers and the emergence of “green sacrifice zones” under the guise of global decarbonisation. These contributions are further developed, through a systems-oriented framework, in a forthcoming book chapter entitled “Transition or transformation? Challenging the ‘orderly transition’ of green mining through the experiences in Portugal and Ecuador from a Leverage Points perspective”. She's currently pursuing the first year of a PhD in Climate Change and Sustainable Development Policies, jointly offered by the University of Lisbon and NOVA University of Lisbon. Her contributions to energy transition and climate change adaptation research are clearly reflected in European projects, namely “Emerging Energo-Geographies and Political Mobilizations in the Framework of the Green Transition: an anthropological approach (ENERGEO)” project at CRIA-ISCTE (research internship) and, alongside the doctoral training, the SAtComm – Atlantic Energy Communities project (PhD. fellowship). Within this latest, she’s carrying out qualitative research that integrates stakeholder mapping, fieldwork, and comparative analysis of governance models, to support the implementation and development of Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) across Europe. Her trajectory also includes extensive experience in applied research and policy-oriented work in Ecuador, collaborating with public institutions, NGOs and international organisations on projects related to gender equality, human rights and public policy. She has taken part on academic and research networks across Europe and Latin America, with worthwhile mentions of CEIANA (co-founder), TransMutante (active, co-founder), Rede de Ecologia Politica (active member). This international academic and professional trajectory has enabled the dissemination of knowledge across diverse contexts, disciplines, and languages, with numerous presentations at conferences and seminars in Latin America and Europe in Spanish, English, and Portuguese.