Biography

Gustavo is an engaged scholar, educator, and apprentice organizer from the islands of Puerto Rico. He has transdisciplinary social-environmental sciences training, combining political ecology and environmental policy and planning, with decolonial Latin American and Caribbean studies. His work centers on transformative eco-social initiatives and movements, bridging ideas of commons and commoning, autogestion, insurgent ecologies, environmental/climate justice movements, and just transitions. He has experience in Puerto Rico, Mexico, and most recently in Portugal, and strong engagements with international networks and initiatives. He is currently FCT-CEECIND Assistant Researcher at the Center for Social Studies, University of Coimbra, where he co-coordinates the Ecology and Society Workshop (ECOSOC). Previously, he held the Prince Claus Chair in Development and Equity at the International Institute of Social Studies, The Hague (2019-2021, ext. 2022); was Assistant Professor in the Graduate School of Planning at the University of Puerto Rico- Rio Piedras (2015-2019); and Marie Curie Experienced Researcher (Postdoc) in the H2020 ITN European Network of Political Ecology - ENTITLE (2014-2015). He holds a PhD in Public Policy and Political Science from Indiana University (2012), a Masters in Environmental Policy from Cambridge University (2005), and a Bachelor in Environmental Sciences and Geography from the University of Puerto Rico (2004). He is co-founding member of Post-Extractive Futures (a self-organized initiative from various collectives to foster thinking and action for post-extractive societies); the Climate Justice Network (integrating scholars and practitioners on research and education); JunteGente (a space of encounters of grassroots initiatives for eco-social justice in Puerto Rico); and the Undisciplined Environments political ecology blog editorial collective. He lives uprooted from his lands but finding home and guiding stars in his daughter Maia. He is held in life by broad networks of care, of people, spirits, memories, and ecologies.