Libertad Chavez-Rodriguez

Dr. Libertad Chavez-Rodriguez is an Associate Professor-Researcher at the Center for Research and Advanced Studies in Social Anthropology (CIESAS) in Monterrey, Mexico, where she has been working since February 2021. She is also a recurring visiting scholar at the Institute of Geography, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel (CAU) since 2017. Her work integrates gender studies and political ecology to investigate socio-ecological issues with a focus on marginalized communities.

Dr. Chavez-Rodriguez earned her Ph.D. in Social Sciences at the Research Center for Sustainability Studies (artec) at the University of Bremen. Her academic journey includes being a full-time researcher at CIESAS through the "Catedras" Program for Young Researchers of CONACYT from 2014-2021, and doctoral studies at the University of Bremen from 2008-2013. Earlier, she held research positions at the German Academy for Spatial Research and Planning and the Bremer Energie Institut in Germany.

Her research program centers on socio-spatial inequalities and social vulnerability to floods in the context of climate change, examining risk perception alongside coping, adaptation, and survival practices. She investigates gender, intersectionality, and disasters, as well as urban mobility concerning environmental justice. Her work takes a political ecology approach to analyze how social segregation and vulnerability manifest in urban environmental issues, particularly in the context of the "Inclusive Mexico: vulnerable groups and development" research project.

Dr. Chavez-Rodriguez's publication record demonstrates consistent scholarly output with a clear trajectory toward environmental justice scholarship. Her recent work increasingly focuses on urban mobility and how gendered experiences shape environmental vulnerability. She frequently collaborates internationally, particularly with scholars from the University of Kiel, and her research bridges academic inquiry with community activism through networks like EnJust and Gender CC.

• Member of the Mexican National System of Researchers of CONACYT, level 1
• Fellow of the Summer Program in Social Science (2015-2017)
• Nazario S. Ortiz Garza 2000 Medal for Academic Merit
• Juan Antonio de la Fuente Medal for best graduate

Dr. Chavez-Rodriguez actively contributes to multiple research networks and social movements. She serves on the Board of the Citizen Participation Council of the Nuevo León State Institute for Women (2020-2021) and is a core member of the activist collective Académicxs de Monterrey 43. Her research has been supported by CONACYT's "Catedras" Program, and she has conducted extensive international research stays at institutions including the Leibniz Institut IRS in Berlin and the University of Kiel. She has received scholarships from both Mexican institutions (CONACYT, SEP, Telmex Foundation) and German organizations (DAAD, Heinrich Böll Foundation).

Her laboratory consists of collaborative networks rather than a traditional physical lab, including the Environmental Justice Network "EnJust," the Network for Gender and Environment "RedGESMA," and academic-community partnerships focused on gender justice and climate resilience. Her future research directions appear focused on deepening the intersectional analysis of urban mobility and environmental justice in Latin American contexts.