Alícia Pérez-Porro

Marine biologist by training connecting scientific research, environmental diplomacy, and climate justice for a more just and sustainable future for all. She sits at the Board of Trustees of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), and is part of the advisory board of the Science Media Center of Spain. She holds an MSc and a PhD in Biodiversity from the University of Barcelona, conducting her doctoral research on marine sponges at Harvard University as a visitor scholar for 5 years, and an MA in International Relations and Diplomacy from Fletcher School (Tufts University).

In 2018, she was selected to participate in one of the largest, all-female expedition to Antarctica with the Homeward Bound Project and was awarded the Spanish Red Cross Gold Medal for her efforts advocating for gender equality as a key component of climate action. The following year, she and her teammates founded the Spanish non-profit ‘Ellas Lideran’ to continue their advocacy work. She was the President of the Association for Spanish Scientists in USA and the President of the Network of Spanish Researchers Abroad (RAICEX) from 2018 to 2020, a 2019 Aspen Ideas Festival Scholar, and a 2018 92Y Women inPower fellow.

In 2020, she co-authored the children’s book ‘The Secret Life of Viruses’, translated to 14 different languages and with more than 44.000 copies already sold. Her happy place is by the ocean, loves dancing like no one is watching, cannot say no to a piece of lemon cake, and is a mom of two.