Josep Espluga

Josep Espluga is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and a researcher at the Institute of Government and Public Policy (IGOP). He holds a PhD in Sociology from UAB and a Master in Risk Prevention from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. His academic affiliations include membership in the Globalization, Education and Social Policies (GEPS) research group and the ARAG-UAB Research Group on Agriculture, Livestock and Food in Globalization.

Education:

• PhD in Sociology, Autonomous University of Barcelona
• Master in Risk Prevention, Polytechnic University of Catalonia

Research Interests: Josep Espluga’s work focuses on the sociological analysis of relationships between health and work, territory and environment. His key areas include:

• Social perception of technological risks
• Socio-environmental conflicts
• Agroecology and food sovereignty
• Nuclear energy governance
• Public policy communication

He emphasizes ethnographic and participatory methodologies to study issues like biosecurity in livestock farming, energy transitions, and waste management.

Key Projects:

• ECF4CLIM: European framework for low-carbon economy education (2021–2025)
• INNOTUB: Trans-Pyrenean network for tuberculosis control in livestock (2019–2022)
• CAPFLO: Flood resilience capacity-building in Catalonia (2016–2017)

Teaching & Outreach: He coordinates the Postgraduate Diploma in Agroecological Local Dynamization (IGOP & ICTA) and the Minor in Sustainable Development and Global Citizenship at UAB. His training programs emphasize multi-actor collaboration for sustainability.

Labs & Teams: Active in interdisciplinary teams like the GEPS group and the ARAG-UAB network, focusing on policy-relevant research with societal impact. His work bridges academic knowledge with grassroots initiatives in rural and urban contexts.