My identity as a Bolivian lawyer and researcher has been forged at the dynamic intersection of state power and civil society advocacy. My professional journey has been a deliberate inquiry into the complex relationship between law, governance, and socio-environmental rights in Latin America. It is a path that has taken me from the inner workings of the state to the front lines of transnational advocacy, culminating in a unique, 360-degree perspective that now drives my academic work.
My foundational interest in the tension between state authority and human rights led me to pursue advanced legal training, earning an M.Sc. in Constitutional Law in Bolivia and an LL.M. in Investment Treaty Arbitration from Uppsala University in Sweden. This rigorous academic grounding provided the critical framework for the next stage of my career: a decade spent as a legal advisor within the Bolivian public administration. This period, which included a key role as General Coordinator at the state gas enterprise YPFB, was an immersive education in the real-world mechanics of state-corporate power, public policy, and regulatory governance in the extractive sector.
Seeking to understand these forces from the other side, I transitioned my focus to civil society. As a current board member at Fundación Kaa Iya, one of Bolivia’s foremost environmental foundations, I now contribute to high-level strategy for conservation and the transnational defense of community rights.
This strategic role, combined with my grassroots work in environmental education, has provided me with invaluable insight into the methods and networks that contest and reshape state and corporate power from the ground up.
This synthesis of experiences—from state insider to civil society strategist—is the cornerstone of my professional identity. It is this dual perspective that directly informs my PhD research, allowing me to analyze socio-environmental conflicts not as a distant observer, but as a scholar with a deep, nuanced, and holistic understanding of the forces at play.
A valuable opportunity to engage with key figures in regional human rights law during the 171st Period of Sessions of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in Sucre, Bolivia (February 2019). Pictured with IACHR Commissioner Margarette May Macaulay (left) and then-President Esmeralda Arosemena de Troitiño (right).
Exploring the historic cityscape of Stockholm during my LL.M. studies at Uppsala University, Sweden. My time in Sweden was foundational, providing me with both a deep understanding of international arbitration and a valuable European academic perspective.
Presenting on public policy and regulatory frameworks during my tenure as a legal advisor for Gobierno Autónomo Departamental de Chuquisaca in Bolivia. This role involved direct engagement with community stakeholders and shaping regional governance, providing a crucial foundation for my later research.