Anabel Sánchez Plaza

I hold a BSc in Biology (University of Barcelona, 1997), a master's degree in Sustainable Water management (University of Zaragoza, 2017) and a PhD in Environment and Society (Pablo de Olavide University in Seville, 2022). I have been CREAF’s Research Impact Officer since 2021, having previously worked as research technician at the centre for 25 years.

While participating in research, I gained extensive expertise in implementing EU projects and coordinating citizen science and participatory initiatives, promoting collaboration between science and society to address environmental challenges.
As the Research Impact Officer, I established the centre’s Impact Office and developed CREAF’s first Impact Strategy.

My role involves enhancing staff skills related to impact, contributing to the integration of impact from the early stages of research projects, promoting stakeholder engagement, linking impact to assessment processes, and monitoring and showcasing impact. I also work to embed a culture of impact within the institution and its research. I coordinate and strategically plan the work of the Impact Office team, ensuring alignment with the centre’s broader objectives.

My role also involves contributing to drive culture change and advancing research impact within the wider academic community. As one of the first Research Impact Officers in the Catalan research community, I actively network and exchange experiences and best practices with colleagues across Europe to foster collective learning and improvement. Additionally, I am a member of ANECA’s Commission for the evaluation and monitoring of the Spanish accreditation system, as impact specialist external to the Agency.