Speaker: Dr Karla Cedano Villavicencio
Dr Karla Cedano is an engineer with a PhD in Engineering and Applied Sciences, and currently Head of the Department of Strategic Innovation at the Institute of Renewable Energies, UNAM.
She also leads the Laboratory of Innovation and Futures, from where she promotes projects on social innovation, energy resilience, and just energy transitions, with territorial, community, and gender-based approaches.
She has led and co-coordinated over ten national and international research projects on energy poverty and energy governance, collaborating with institutions such as the University of Birmingham and ECLAC. Her work has contributed to making visible the socio-technical dynamics of energy in Latin America, promoting decentralised renewable solutions.
Recognised as one of the 20 leading women in Mexico’s energy sector (2023 and 2025), Dr Cedano has been a science communicator, mentor in international programmes, and author of articles in journals such as Nature Energy. She is currently a member of networks including Voz Experta, IWF, and the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition.
Abstract:
From the Laboratory of Innovation and Futures at the Institute of Renewable Energies (IER-UNAM), Dr Karla Cedano reflects on how social innovation can build bridges between people, energy, and territory. Drawing on experiences in peri-urban and rural communities in Mexico, she illustrates how this approach enables the imagining and design of fairer energy transitions for historically vulnerable regions.