With the support of Imperial College’s EDI Seed Fund, Dr Judith Cherni will be hosting a discussion on Latin American diversity and inclusivity in academia. Through opening remarks from a contributor to the Latinx Students in Higher Education report, a guided panel, and a roundtable discussion, the event will be a unique opportunity to engage in a casual, constructive dialogue on furthering recognition of the Latin American community at Imperial College. Topics will include identity, career progress, and how the College can become more inclusive.
Speaker Biographies
Dr Judith Cherni is an established Research Fellow on energy modelling for sustainable development at the Centre for Environmental Policy (CEP). She has led and coordinated international research consortia and guided postgraduates in Imperial’s CEP, Energy Futures Lab, and Global Health programmes. She was awarded the 2019 first prize for Scientific Innovation, Visibility, and Socio-Economic Impact by the Cuban Academy of Sciences. She has led the Academic Group of the College Racial Equality Charter-Self-Assessment Team and is interim chair of CEP Athena Swan committee. Bringing different cultures and identities together, she has chaired two professional British UK-Argentine organisations.
Paulina Tamborrel Signoret is part of the Citizens UK Diaspora Organising Team, promoting local ownership and leadership with migrant communities. She helped shape the recent Representation, Engagement and Participation: Latinx Students in Higher Education report undertaken by the Centre for Education & Youth and King’s College London. Born and raised in Mexico, Paulina has a BFA in Textile Design and an MDes in Social Innovation. With personal experience in entrepreneurship and migration, Paulina is particularly invested in highlighting the courage of migrant entrepreneurship and growing recognition of the social and economic value of migrant communities.
Dr Rocio Diaz-Chavez is the Deputy Director and Energy and Climate Change Programme Leader at the Stockholm Environment Institute Africa Centre as well as a Senior Research Fellow at Imperial College’s Centre for Environmental Policy. She has coordinated different EU funded projects and worked in other regions in Africa, Asia and Latin America. She acted as Chair of the Social Group of the Bioenergy Standard for the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), was the co-chair of the International Energy Agency for the UK Task 40 (Biomass trading) and is a recipient of the SCOPE 2010 Young Scientist Award.
Dr Pablo Brito-Parada received his bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Yucatan, Mexico. He worked in academia and as a process engineer before moving to the UK for his PhD in mineral processing and fluid dynamics at Imperial College. Now, as a Senior Lecturer in the College’s Department of Earth Science & Engineering, he is currently researching separation processes with a focus on sustainable mineral processing. He is also an Editor for Elsevier’s Minerals Engineering journal and, since 2018, an elected member of the International Mineral Processing Council.
Dr Cristina Banks-Leite is a Senior Lecturer in Imperial College’s Department of Life Sciences, investigating how communities are structured in fragmented landscapes of tropical regions. Having studied in her home country of Brazil, Cristina’s research proposed a threshold of 30 per cent forest cover for effective restoration of its Atlantic Forest. In 2017, this figure was adopted as an official target by the Brazilian government. In recognition of this work, she was named runner-up in the early career category of the Natural Environment Research Council’s 2018 Impact Awards. She also promotes academic partnerships with Brazil on the steering committee of the Imperial College Brazil Forum.
Dr Diego Mesa Peña is a Mining Engineer working as a Research Associate at the Imperial College Advanced Mineral Processing Research Group. He has an MSc in Extractive Metallurgy from Universidad de Chile and a PhD in Mineral Processing from Imperial College. He was elected President of Imperial’s Latin American Society in 2017 and organised the first Symposium of Researchers for Latin America in 2018. The Symposium attracted over 100 participants and is planned to continue through new committees. Diego currently represents postdocs in the EDI Internal Committee of the Earth Science and Engineering Department, addressing issues of Latin American integration and participation.
Diego Hopkins is a Peruvian lawyer graduated from the University San Martin de Porres in Peru. He also holds an MSc in Environmental, Economic, and Social Sustainability by the Autonomous University of Barcelona in Spain and is a PhD candidate in Environmental Policy at Imperial College. Diego has worked for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Peru, the Bureau for International des Expositions, and the Parliament of Peru, focusing on environmental issues. He has also collaborated with the Citizen Organization for Climate Change for developing the Peruvian position for COP21 held in Paris, in 2016. Currently, he is an environmental consultant at the World Bank.