People

Elena holds a PhD in Geography and Sustainable Development from the University of Bern, Switzerland. Her doctoral research focused on the critical issues of deforestation and environmental justice in the Argentinean Chaco region. During her academic pursuits, she applied mixed methods, including social-multicriteria evaluation and Q methodology. She joined the Forests and Bioeconomy Unit of the Joint Research Centre in September 2023. In her role as a scientific officer, Elena is working on land system responses to bioeconomy-related policies. Her responsibilities include developing innovative methodologies for comprehensive land assessments, covering land-based biomass. Additionally, she focuses on creating methods to assess the overall sustainability of the bioeconomy sector. This work aligns with the ambitious goals set by EU land policies, aiming to produce biomass for the bioeconomy, preserve biodiversity, and mitigate climate change simultaneously. Elena also plays a crucial role in policy analysis, contributing significantly to a gap analysis of the European Green Deal. She employs advanced qualitative text analysis methods to scrutinize policies, providing valuable insights that aid in refining and enhancing existing strategies.