CV

Education

• B.S. in Geography and minor in Territorial Planning, Pontifical Catholic University, Quito-Ecuador, 2016
• M.A. in Urban Planning, Latin American School for Social Sciences, Quito-Ecuador, 2020
• Ph.Ding in Geography, The Pennsylvania State University, 2025 (expected)

Research experience

• Winter 2022: Research Assistant
  • The Pennsylvania State University
  • Duties included: Literature and documentary review of the Project Eolica del Sur, Oaxaca Mexico for a working paper.
  • Supervisor: Dr. Emily Rosenman
• Summer 2022: Research Assistant
  • The Pennsylvania State University
  • Duties included: Urban Geography syllabus and class co-preparation.
  • Supervisor: Dr. Emily Rosenman
• Spring 2022: Research Assistant
  • The Pennsylvania State University
  • Duties included: Literature review on geography, risk, and finance.
  • Supervisor: Dr. Emily Rosenman
• January 2020 - August 2021: Researcher
  • The Latin American School for Social Sciences (FLACSO) and the University of Leeds
  • Project NOVel Approach for Vital Infrastructure post DisAster
  • Duties included: Focus groups, semi-structured interviews, archival review, literature review regarding social housing and risk, and spatial analysis.
  • PI: Dr. Dr. Ornella Luorio and Dr. Michael Janoschka.
• January 2019 - December 2020: Researcher
  • The Latin American School for Social Sciences (FLACSO)
  • Project Contested Cities Ecuador
  • Duties included: Analysis of housing policies and citizen participation; focus groups and semi-structured interviews; collective mapping and spatial analysis. In charge of the scientific publications of the project; and responsible for the organization and writing of the booklets of the seven cities under study, which were delivered to the population, decision-makers, and the public.
  • PI: Dr. Gustavo Duran

Skills

• Quantive analysis: RStudio basics, Git,
• Qualitative analysis: Atlat.ti
• Spatial analysis: ArcGIS, QGIS, GeoDA

Publications

Generating and Mapping Amazonian Urban Regions Using a Geospatial Approach

Cabrera-Barona, P., Bayon, M., Duran, G., Bonilla-Mena, A., & Mejia, V. (2020). Generating and Mapping Amazonian Urban Regions Using a Geospatial Approach. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information. 9(7):453. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi9070453

Ecuadorian housing resettlements five years after the 2016 earthquake: A critical analysis

Testori, Giulia, Michael Janoschka, Alejandra Bonilla-Mena, and Ornella Iuorio. 2021. Ecuadorian Housing Resettlements Five Years after the 2016 Earthquake: A Critical Analysis. Habitat International 117: 102433. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2021.102433.

Vivienda social en Ecuador: violencias y contestaciones en la produccion progresista de periferias urbanas

Duran, Gustavo, Manuel Bayon, Alejandra Bonilla Mena, and Michael Janoschka. 2020. Vivienda Social En Ecuador: Violencias y Contestaciones En La Produccion Progresista de Periferias Urbanas. Revista INVI 35 (99): 34 to 56. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-83582020000200034.

Talks

Entrepreneurial governance - Quito, Ecuador

February 20, 2022

AAG Conference 2022 at AAG, Denver, Colorado (virtual)

Challenges of exploring Real Estate Political/Financial Instruments

March 22, 2023

AAG Conference 2023 at AAG, Denver, Colorado

Teaching

Teacher assistant - Fall 2022

Teacher Assistant - Spring 2023

Service and leadership 2022-2023

• Treasurer, Graduate Student Representative, The Pennsylvania State University
• Secretary, Supporting Women in Geography, The Pennsylvania State University
• Activity Director, Latinx Specialty Group, American Association of Geographers