About me

Professional profile

I am an environmental scientist conducting transdisciplinary research on urban sustainability. More specifically, I investigate the health equity impacts of urban planning and urban sustainability policies. To do so, I apply knowledge from environmental public health, environmental urban planning, environmental exposure and environmental justice.

I am a world expert on the health impacts of urban nature, with a particular focus on health equity. I am currently a senior researcher at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), as part of the Department of Health Sciences, where I teach in the master of planetary health. I am also an associated researcher (Assistant Professor level) at the Barcelona Institue of Global Health (ISGlobal) and associated to the Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability (BCNUEJ). I have been recently awarded a Ramon y Cajal fellowship (2021 call) and have been awarded a HEurope project as co-coordinator to identify ways in which effective nature-based therapies and a broader green care framework can be scaled-up to improve adult mental health and wellbeing equity in Europe while contributing to multiple socio-ecological co-benefits.

I have done fieldwork and research stays in India, Spain, US, Denmark, UK and Mozambique. Apart from book chapters, I have co-authored more than 60 papers published in top-tier environmental scientific outlets, such as Environment International, Environmental Research, Environmental Research Letters and Environmental Health Perspectives. I am recurrently among the 1% most cited and influential scientists in the world. I have written tens of technical documents, and my research has informed international policy reports such as the US and European Environmental Protection Agencies and the World Health Organization. I have also participated in an extensive diversity and number of knowledge and dissemination activities and have a strong record of training and supervision.

Other passions

I enjoy the company and resilience of my 10-year old dog Tilda, and love sharing my experiences with adopted senior dogs like our previous dogs Hanna and Tor. I also like practising hatha yoga, travelling, watching TV series, getting lost in modern art museums and spending time in natural spaces. I love dark chocolate and sharing indian food with my partner, friends and family.