Aravena, Claudia

Claudia Aravena is Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at Heriot-Watt University (United Kingdom - UK) and Research Associate of EfD Colombia, where she is also part of the Sustainable Energy Transition Initiative (SETI) and the Emission Pricing for Development (EPfD) steering committees, and member of Women in Environmental Economics for Development (WinEED). She holds a PhD in Energy and Environmental Economics from Queen’s University Belfast,UK (2012). She is currently the President Elect of the Latin American Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (LAERE). 

Research interests 

Her research interests are in biodiversity valuation and conservation, renewable energy, energy efficiency, smart grids, electric vehicles, hydrogen, consumer behaviour, payment for ecosystem services, environmental valuation, behavioural economics, community development and policy instruments. 

Mentoring 

She has mentored over 30 graduate students, 3 post-doctoral researchers. 

Grants 

Philanthropic Funding in European and Financial Studies. 2022. Project: Reducing household energy use through psychological and economic interventions: the effects of framing and audience value orientation.  

Global Challenge Research Fund (GCRF). 2020. Call: Leadership in Research. Project title: “Promoting community’s sustainable development - Valuing ecosystem services affected by economic activities in the Galapagos Islands, Ecuador”. 

Global Challenge Research Fund (GCRF). 2020. Call: Leadership in Research.Project title: “Mainstreaming biodiversity into coastal development: A sustainability roadmap for Paracas, Peru”. 

Global Challenge Research Fund (GCRF). 2020. Call: COVID19 Research Fund. Project title: “Building the science network to study ‘A Hope Spot for sustainable forest-community development around the Gulf of Tribuga’, Colombia”. 

Global Challenge Research Fund (GCRF). 2019.Project title: “Using Air Quality Models to Analyse Socio-Environmental Inequities”. 

Global Challenge Research Fund (GCRF). 2019. Project title: “Building the foundation for a landscape-scale socioeconomic model for ‘productive restoration’ in the Colombian Amazon forest.” 

Newton Higher Education Links Workshop. 2018. Project title: “Multidisciplinary management of coastal-marine zones”. 

LACEEP Grant. 2016. Project title: “Determinants of households` private investments in energy efficiency improvements in South-central region of Chile” 

UCD College of Business Research Funding Scheme 2015/16. Project title: “Creating meaningful information for energy efficiency labels”. 

LACEEP Grant 2007. Project title: “Valuation of environmental impacts of different energy sources in Chile”. 2007. Individual grant. 

LACEEP Grant. Project title: Analysis of Decomposition and Energy Consumption in Chile. 2013. 

Arts and Social Sciences Benefactions Fund 2013. Trinity College Dublin. (PI). Project title: “Valuation of energy efficiency measures in Irish households”. 

Policy engagement 

She has had large amount of policy interaction with the environmental and energy ministries and authorities in Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Ireland and the UK both as a researcher and as a consultant.  

Awards 

(1)IAEE Best Paper Award. Award to the best postgraduate paper in the 10th Conference of the International Association of Energy Economics. 2009. Vienna, Austria. 

2) ALEAR Best Paper Award. Award to the best postgraduate paper in III ALEAR Congress of Latin American Environmental and Resource Economists (ALEAR) 2007. Talca, Chile. 

(3) Universidad de Concepción Award 2001. First Class honours in Economics. Universidad de Concepcion. Concepción – Chile 

(4) Lan Chile Excellence Academic Award 2001. First Class honours in Economics. Universidad de Concepcion. Concepción – Chile