Dr Itzel San Roman Pineda

Profile

I am a critical geographer with expertise in the Global Majority grassroots movements and community-based initiatives, addressing social, economic, gender, ethnic, educational, and environmental inequalities. My background includes qualitative, quantitative, and arts-based methodologies  used  for ethical knowledge production and dissemination. My PhD research from the University of Sheffield introduced a novel 'tourism from below' approach, emphasizing Indigenous ontologies of development to challenge traditional development paradigms. As the FASTA Development Manager at the University of Leeds' National Centre for Atmospheric Science, I lead partnerships, secure funding, and drive capacity-building initiatives across Africa to implement cutting-edge research on real-time storm information services, delivering tangible real-world impact. I support strategic initiatives and community engagement within the WISER-EWSA project, working collaboratively to enhance climate resilience for vulnerable communities.

Research interests

My research addresses environmental and gender inequalities, as well as grassroots movements challenging social and economic disparities. As the FASTA Development Manager, I contribute to research projects focused on enhancing early warning systems in Africa to build climate resilience for vulnerable communities. In parallel, I co-founded the Network of Women Doing Fieldwork, a global initiative with over 250 members, where I lead efforts to promote safe and inclusive research environments for gender-diverse researchers. My academic research focuses on Indigenous ontologies to contest top-down development challenges, emphasizing solidarity and reciprocity in socio-economic relations for sustainable development.

Peer-reviewed publications:

• San Roman Pineda, I. 2022. 'Social Capital and Social Networks' in The Routledge Handbook on Livelihoods in the Global South (1st ed.). London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003014041
• San Roman Pineda, I., Lowe, H., Brown, L., and Mannel, J. 2022. 'Viewpoint: Acknowledging trauma in academic research.' Gender, Place and Culture. https://doi.org/10.1080/0966369X.2022.2159335
• Krauss, J., Mani, S., Cromwel, J., San Roman Pineda, I., and Cleaver, F. 2022. 'Bringing research alive through stories: reflecting on research storytelling as a public engagement method.' Research for All. Vol. 6(1). DOI: 10.14324/ RFA.06.1.2

Papers under review:

• Feeling in, from, and with the field: A new methodology for exploring gender-based violence in data collection” submitted to ‘Gender, Place and Culture’, Under Review.
• Feminist Geographical Fieldwork for the Handbook of Feminist Political Geography. DeGruyter. Under Review.

Other publications: 

• Report: Tidy, J. and San Roman Pineda, I. (2024). Project Report: Data Transparency in Qualitative Research. [Report] Sheffield: The University of Sheffield. doi: forthcoming.
• Report: Hanchard, M. and San Roman Pineda, I. (2023). Project report: Fostering cultures of open qualitative research. [Report] Sheffield: The University of Sheffield. doi: 10.15131/shef.data.24807987.
• Article: San Roman Pineda, I. (2023) ‘The Challenges and Benefits of Making Qualitative Research Open’, Open Research Doctoral Times, Available at: https://www.flipsnack.com/tuostimes/doctoral-times-open-research.html Blog: Zavala Guillen, A., San Roman Pineda, I. (2023)
• Academic Partnerships to Confront Gender-Based Violence in the Field’, Geography Directions by RGS-IBG, 5 April. Available at: https://blog.geographydirections.com/2023/04/05/ academic-partnerships-to-confront-gender-based-violence-in-the-field (Accessed 30 August 2023).

Open data sets: 

• Survey Responses: Hanchard, M., San Roman Pineda, I. (2023) Fostering cultures of open qualitative research: Dataset 1 – Survey Responses. The University of Sheffield. DOI: 10.15131/shef.data.23567250.v1.  
• Interviews: Hanchard, M., San Roman Pineda, I. (2023) Fostering cultures of open qualitative research: Dataset 2 – Interview Transcripts. The University of Sheffield. DOI: 10.15131/shef.data.23567223.v2. 
• Report: Poveda Villalba, S., Murphy, J., San Roman Pineda, I., García Gómez, D. (2023). 'For Women, With Women: Exploring Gender Inequalities In Vocational Training And Employment - Final Report'. The University of Sheffield. Report. https://doi.org/10.15131/shef.data.22731062.v1 
• Video storytelling: San Roman Pineda, I. (2019) 'Solidarity in Tourism for Development', presented at the ESRC Festival of the Social Sciences in the event Tales from the Global South event. Available at: https:// digitalmedia.sheffield.ac.uk/media/Solidarity+in+tourism+for+development/1_4znxbv03 

<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Some research projects I'm currently working on, or have worked on, will be listed below. Our list of all <a href="https://environment.leeds.ac.uk/dir/research-projects">research projects</a> allows you to view and search the full list of projects in the faculty.</p>

Qualifications

• PhD in Geography, University of Sheffield
• Master’s in Business Administration (Finance), Universidad Tec Milenio (Mexico)
• BA in Marketing, Universidad Anahuac
• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)

Professional memberships

• Society of Latin American Studies (SLAS)
• Network of Women Doing Fieldwork (NWDF) – Co-founder