Javiera Barandiarán

Javiera Barandiarán is an Associate Professor and Department Chair in the Global Studies program at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB). She serves as Director of Graduate Studies and leads the LAIS Advisory Board. Her academic journey includes a Ph.D. in Environmental Science, Policy, and Management (UC Berkeley, 2013), an M.A. in Public Policy (UC Berkeley), and a B.A. in Politics from the University of Edinburgh.

Barandiarán’s research focuses on environmental politics, science-policy interfaces, and Latin American socio-ecological governance. Her work examines how states produce and utilize environmental knowledge, particularly in Chile, addressing conflicts around lithium mining, hydroelectric projects, and constitutional reforms. She explores themes such as neoliberalism’s influence on science, environmental justice, and the rights of nature. Her current projects include leading the Center for Restorative Environmental Work (CREW), which bridges socioecological restoration efforts in California and Latin America.

Her recent publications include Living Minerals: Nature, Trade, and Power in the Race for Lithium (forthcoming 2025) and articles on Chile’s constitutional reform, energy transitions, and environmental justice. She has received awards such as the Bellagio Residency (Rockefeller Foundation) and the Berlin Prize (American Academy in Berlin), along with grants from NSF, the Andrew Mellon Foundation, and Chile’s ANID.

• Projects:
• Co-PI on glaciology and geo-engineering studies in Chile (Fondecyt Project)
• Lead PI on lithium mining’s socio-environmental impacts (SSHRC Canada)
• Director of CREW, addressing socioecological restoration

Barandiarán’s teaching emphasizes environmental policy, democratic transitions, and knowledge production. She advises on global climate justice and energy transitions, advocating for equitable and participatory environmental governance.