Diego has led the research and international programs at USFQ for over 10 years. His vision contributed to make USFQ accomplish Number 1 post in Latin America in internationalization (Times Higher Education). His most recent position was Dean of Research and International Affairs as well as Co-Director of the Galapagos Campus in San Cristóbal, Galapagos.
Diego obtained his Ph.D. in Anthropology of University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign. His research focus is Urban Ecology, Political Ecology and Medical Anthropology in the Galapagos, Amazon basin y the Andes. Diego has been working constantly in biodiversity and vulnerability research as well as traditional medicine in the region.
Diego believes that the role of universities is to be a part of the innovation ecosystem and that it should be tied to the community needs to develop public policy and support the private sector. His work philosophy is based in Liberal Arts, which promote inter disciplinary groups of work where each person contributes with its area of expertise to go forward in research.