Meet the team
Core team members
Cristina Madrid López
I am the director of the LIVEN Lab and work on the integration of sustainability assessment, computing and citizen science. I am interested in understanding how we use water and energy and the impacts we generate with those consumption patterns. My objective is to contribute to the process of ecological transition by assessing how and if new technologies and policies will help us reach the targets we would like to reach. I was visiting researcher in Twente (NL), King’s College London (UK) and the Center for Strategic Prospective Studies (Ecuador) and completed my postdoctoral training at Yale University (USA). I am a member of the board of the International Society for Industrial Ecology and part of the management committee of the COST action Nexusnet. I am also a mom and enjoy water sports.
Laura Pérez Sánchez
I am a postdoctoral researcher at Liven Lab, where I explore energy transitions integrating the framework of societal metabolism (MuSIASEM) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). I study the relationship between technology and social issues, and am interested in the lock-in of existent stocks to social practices and resource use, the implications of trade, and the nexus and trade-offs of dimensions in socio-ecological systems, including energy, other materials and time use. I work within the fields of ecological economics and industrial ecology (MFA, IOT, LCA). Previously, I worked within the IASTE team at ICTA-UAB and visited University of Leiden (NL). When I am not working, I like going to concerts, reading and hiking.
Miquel Sierra-Montoya
I am a PhD student interested in the development of models to study the social and environmental impacts of the energy transition, with a particular focus on wind energy technologies. At LIVEN Lab, I work on the regionalization and temporalization of sustainability assessment by modeling parameterized life cycle inventories using the Brightway2 software. I also help develop the ENBIOS tool to analyze their environmental impact for the projects LIVEN and JUSTWIND4ALL. Before joining the group, I completed a MSc in Industrial Chemistry and conducted research in biosensors and in-vitro diagnostics. In my spare time, I enjoy sports, playing chess, hiking and reading thriller novels.
Alejandro Caballeros Finkelstein
I am a research assistant at LIVEN Lab, where I work on the development of Calliope Spain for the ETOS project about the externalization of the energy transition in Spain. My background is in economics, and I am interested in interdisciplinary analysis in the energy transition to propose sustainable scenarios for our future energy system. In my native Mexico, I worked as a Public Policy Consultant on energy and security projects for the Mexican and American governments and as a junior Investigator at the Energy and Natural Resources ITAM Center doing research on energy security and the impacts of the Sargassum algae in the state of Quintana Roo.
Cristina Pérez-Sánchez
I am a PhD student at ICTA-UAB, where my research focuses on exploring ways to promote sustainable and just energy transitions in rural areas of Spain, adopting a transformative research approach, collaborating with policy-makers, practitioners and social movements to co-create knowledge and drive transformative change. I was previously a research technician at the LIVEN Lab where I was responsible for participatory processes, mainly within the LIVEN and JUSTWIND4ALL projects. I have completed internships at the Royal Botanic Garden of Madrid, the University of Bergen in Norway, and Madrid's Institute for Rural Development, Agricultural and Food Research (IMIDRA). I have a bachelor's degree in environmental science and a master's degree in interdisciplinary studies on sustainability. I love hiking, birding, and plants.
Alexander de Tomás
I am a research technician at LIVEN Lab, where I study better ways of selecting energy transition pathways when many options are available. I contribute in the development of ENBIOS, connecting it with the energy model Calliope and the introduction of novel technologies. My work in the project SEEDS focuses on Portugal and my results are used in a webapp to support energy transition scenario design. I am also studying a Master’s in Biological and Environmental Engineering at UAB. I am passionate about modelling and artificial intelligence.
Camilo Jose Ruiz Morales
As a research technician at LIVEN Lab, I work on mapping the impacts generated by the energy transition in Spain, integrating Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Geographical Information System (GIS). I am originally from Colombia, where I completed a postgraduate course in Environmental Planning and Integral Manage of Natural Resources, I started my professional career in the construction sector, then as a consultant in remediation projects, and was also part of a team in charge of cartography and development of a multipurpose national cadastre. I enjoy outdoor activities such as traveling, hiking and sailing, or being at home with my plants.
Ramin Soleymani
I am a software engineer at Liven Lab. I have worked in research on developing planning strategies for wireless sensor networks at the University Duisburg-Essen and worked as a Creative Technologist at the Berlin-based Service Design Agency IXDS. I was also a freelance software developer, educator, and artistic researcher and a community organizer for a digital art community in Berlin and in Barcelona. I was initiator and co-organizer of Science Hack Day Berlin, a community-run Hackathon for Citizen Science and Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Science. Before joining the LivenLab group, I worked in ERC project LICCI and two associated Proofs of concept, working on Indigenous Peoples contribution to climate change research and policy and Indigenous Data Sovereignty.
Yoana Kisyova
I am a research technician at LIVEN Lab, specializing in the narrative assessment of the energy transition in Spain. My primary role involves translating narratives surrounding energy transition into measurable indicators for comprehensive analysis. Additionally, I contribute to the organization of our living lab, a collaborative space where stakeholders can explore innovative solutions for sustainable development. I previously worked on diverse research projects and governmental institutions. I believe that robust assessment methodologies and accurate data analysis play a pivotal role in guiding sound policy decisions and fostering a sustainable future.
María Cassinello Toscano
I am a research technician at LIVEN Lab working in the CARE project, an ECIU SMART-ER citizen science initiative, where I contribute to conducting a pilot in which we work with elementary students in the measurement and management of water use and organic waste in schools in order to co-create knowledge while also raising awareness about these issues. I am particularly interested in conducting research on sustainability issues in a way that is directly connected with society,mby engaging citizens and other actors in the research process and producing direct social impacts and changes. I enjoy playing music, dancing, reading and hiking.
Sam Marot
I am a research technician at the LIVEN Lab, specialised in energy transition modelling, using the MuSIASEM tool to produce social, environmental, technical and economic indicators for scenarios. I am currently working on the SEEDS project, which promotes stakeholder engagement in scenario design for a case study in Portugal. I have a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering from the University of Glasgow and an MSc in Ecological Economics from the UAB. I am also a teacher for an introductory course on the climate crisis (at the university of Glasgow), where I give lectures on the societal metabolism concept and tackling complex problems in sustainability.
Alumni
Nikki Harasta
I have a BSc of Biology from Seattle Pacific University and an MSc of Ecological Economics from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) with a background in marine conservation policy and marine protected area assessment. My research interests include sustainable marine policy, nature inclusive design, and nature-based solutions within the context of the renewable energy transition. At Liven Lab, I worked with the JUSTWIND4ALL project where I contributed to the creation of metrics and tools for understanding the socioecological impacts of offshore wind energy in Europe. My work focused on integrating an ecosystem service assessment framework with life cycle assessment (LCA) and social metabolism metrics (MuSIASEM) within the broader energy-decision model, ENBIOS.