Dr. Alicia Perez-Porro is a marine biologist, environmental activist, and mother of two. She bridges environmental science, diplomacy, and policy to drive a more sustainable future for all.

Dr. Perez-Porro is the Head of Policy Engagement and Institutional Relations at CREAF, a public scientific research institute near Barcelona, Spain, dedicated to understanding and addressing global environmental challenges. As a member of the executive board, she leads science diplomacy and science-for-policy strategies. She also serves on the Board of Trustees of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and the Supervisory Board of IIED-Europe and is a member of the Spanish Science Media Center advisory board. In 2023, she was selected by the European Commission as an expert for the EU Science Diplomacy Working Groups, contributing to the development of a future European framework for science diplomacy.

Dr. Perez-Porro holds an MSc and a PhD in Biodiversity from the University of Barcelona, where she conducted her doctoral research at Harvard University as a five-year visiting scholar. She also earned an MA in International Relations and Diplomacy from Fletcher School at Tufts University (GMAP’21).

A passionate advocate for gender equality in climate action, she was awarded the Spanish Red Cross Gold Medal in 2018 for her work. She served as President of the Association of Spanish Scientists in the USA (ECUSA) and President of the Network of Spanish Researchers Abroad (RAICEX) from 2019 to 2021. Additionally, she was a 2019 Aspen Ideas Festival Scholar and a 2018 92Y Women inPower Fellow.

Beyond her scientific and policy work, Dr. Perez-Porro is also an author. In 2020, she co-authored the children’s book The Secret Life of Viruses, which has been translated into 14 languages and has sold over 50,000 copies.