RESEARCH TEAM

Driven by a shared passion for sustainabiliy, our team leverages diverse expertise in life and social sciences to tackle complex environmental challenges with innovative solutions.

Irene Pérez Ibarra

Principal Investigator

Deeply committed to sustainability and with an extensive background in social-ecological systems (SES), her expertise encompasses natural resource governance, resilience, and human-environment interactions

Associate Professor at the Department of Agricultural Sciences and the Environment, University of Zaragoza (Spain), and Co-Principal Investigator of the Social-Ecological Systems Research Group at the Agrifood Institute of Aragon (IA2). With a background in ecology and biology, she specializes in the interdisciplinary field of social-ecological research, focusing on the governance and resilience of small-scale agricultural systems in the face of global change. Her research blends concepts and tools from life sciences to study biodiversity with the theories and methods of common-pool resources and resilience science, aiming to quantify the diversity and evolution of rules and norms in small-scale agricultural systems worldwide. Before joining the University of Zaragoza, Irene held research positions at the University of Murcia and Miguel Hernández University (Spain, 2007-09), the Center for the Study of Institutional Diversity at Arizona State University (USA, 2010-14), and the School of Social Work at Columbia University in New York City (USA, 2016-2019). She also teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in economics, sociology, and agricultural policy.

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CORE RESEARCH TEAM

Alicia Tenza Peral

Scientific Coordinator

Postdoctoral researcher at the University of Zaragoza. Environmental social scientist interested in the dynamics of social-ecological systems, focusing on resilience and adaptation to environmental and socioeconomic changes at higher scales for sustainable long-term dynamics.

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Laura X. Estévez Moreno

Data collection coordinator

Postdoctoral researcher at the University of Zaragoza, investigating the role of agriculture in rural livelihoods, sustainable agricultural practices from farm to table, human-animal relationships, and farm animal welfare.

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Ismael Lare David

PhD candidate

Holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and a master’s in Integrated Water Management. His research focuses on quantifying institutional diversity in agricultural systems by means of institutional grammar and the typology and taxonomy of rules.

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Diego Arahuetes de la Iglesia

PhD candidate

Holds a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a master's in Anthropology and in Human Rights and Development. His research focuses on the structure of formal and informal institutions in common-pool resource systems.

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Francisco Javier Lacosta García

PhD candidate

Holds a bachelor's degree in Environmental Sciences and a master's in Spatial Planning and Environment. His research focuses on the spatial distribution of institutional diversity and nature's contributions to people.

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Ana Olaizola Tolosana

Senior Staff Associate

Professor at the University of Zaragoza, specializing in the evolution and sustainability of extensive livestock systems. She supports data collection and interpetation of findings from case studies in Spain, particularly in the context of sustainable agricultural practices.

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Juan José Barriuso Vargas

Senior Staff

Associate Professor at the University of Zaragoza, focusing on agronomy and traditional agricultural systems. He supports data collection and interpetation of findings from case studies in Spain.

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Ignacio Pastore Benaim

Former collaborator

Former collaborator with a strong technical background in programming and data science, he contributed to RESILIENT RULES by adapting an online tool to assist in coding project data using the Institutional Grammar framework (see IG-Parser-Production in the publication link). In addition to his technical expertise, he holds a Master’s degree in Ecological Agriculture, which provides him with a solid foundation in agroecological systems and their sustainable management

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Andrea Martín Suárez

Former collaborator

Veterinarian and “One Health” master’s graduate from the University of Zaragoza. Andrea researches resilience and institutions in agriculture, focusing on subjective resilience to climate change, and institutional diversity in agricultural systems. She supports the project from its onset, focusing on coding institutions and disseminating findings

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Rocío de la Torre Cejías

Former Project Manager

PhD in Ecology, specializing in ecosystem restoration, with a broad career spanning environmental science, education and consultancy. She oversaw administrative and economic processes, focusing on personnel management and ensuring smooth operations throughout the project phases.

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GLOBAL FIELD RESEARCH TEAM

This team comprises researchers with extensive experience in social or social-ecological research and prior knowledge of the social organization of their study sites. They actively engage with key stakeholders to deliver insights that contribute ot our global undersanding of institutional diversity and resilience.

SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD

Crucial in addressing the challenge of applying life sciences methodologies to quantify global patterns of institutional diversity, this board comprises five eminent international experts. It provides a platform for rigorous discussion on both methodological approaches and scientific results, ensuring that the tools developed can be extensively validated and applied beyond this study.

ETHICAL PRINCIPLES

At Resilient Rules, we recognize that research involving human participants must be conducted with utmost respect and care. Our commitment to these values is embedded in every aspect of our work, ensuring that all research activities not only comply with legal requirements but also adhere to high ethical standards.

Our research is guided by key principles that ensure integrity and respect throughout the scientific process:

Reliability

We are committed to enhacing the quality of our research through careful design, methodology, analysis, and resource use.

Honesty

We advocate for transparency and fairness in all research phases, from development through to communication.

Respect

We honor our colleagues, research participants, society, ecosystems, and cultural heritage, ensuring our work fosters a positive impact on all.

Accountability

We take full responsibility for our research, from conception to publication, including its management, societal impacts, and the mentoring of future researches.
European Research Council
Resilient Rules has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's Horizon Europe programme (ERC Consolidator Grant No 101044225 )