Citizens Collective

I am an Assistant Professor in the section of Spatial Planning and Strategy, Department of Urbanism, TU Delft. I am also the co-director of the Centre for Urban Science (CUSP), a member of the Delta Urbanism Interdisciplinary Research Program, and a member of the Climate Action Program at TU Delft.

I have an interdisciplinary background with expertise in socio-technical systems, urban data science, and policy analysis. I hold a PhD in Civil Engineering (KU Leuven, Belgium), an MSc in Mechanical Engineering (UFSC, Brazil), an M1 in Energy & Environment (UPMC/Sorbonne, France), and a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering (UFSC, Brazil).

My research is motivated by the ongoing transformation of urban systems driven by climate change. Mitigating and adapting to climate change requires the implementation of urban interventions of different types and scales: new green and blue infrastructure, energy transition, building renovations, construction and renovation of transportation networks, etc. These urban interventions affect the livelihoods of peoples and communities in multiple ways, from daily disruptions to long-term infrastructure lock-ins that perpetuate inequality across the city. I am interested in how urban interventions affect people in relation to existing inequalities and in the role of space in creating, shaping, and reinforcing inequalities. My overarching goal is to understand the socio-spatial dimension of the urban environment to support the design and planning of urban interventions.

I am an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Technology, Policy and Management in Delft University of Technology. I lead the Centre for Urban Science and Policy research group at the department of Multi-Actor Systems. I am also serving the TPM AI Lab and an active member of the Dutch Network Science community.

My research focuses on tackling the challenges of urbanisation in an equitable and just manner. I am particularly interested in understanding the processes that drive and shape urbanization and inequalities from a computational perspective. I focus on using methods in spatial data science, complex network analyses and participatory mapping to develop computational tools for advancing the theories and practices of urban science.

I also instruct on remote expeditions for National Geographic where high school students have the opportunity to learn about conservation, anthropology, engineering and policy. Previously, I helped build a media and technology startup dedicated to the cause of making this planet a healthier place through authentic journalism and data science at The Outdoor Journal.