About
Hello! I'm Lauren, a research practioner and project designer currently based in Brooklyn, New York, on the ancestral homelands of the Lenape people. I’m originally from Galicia, by the northwest Spanish coast. I am currently the Director of Research and Programs of The Maintainers, an interdisciplinary research and practices focused on the concepts of maintenance, repair, and care. My educational background includes a degree in Psychology from the Complutense University of Madrid, where I also completed a Master's in Psychotherapy.
Upon my arrival in New York, I worked as a preschool teacher while also engaging in research activities with multiple psychology research labs. This experience led me to work in behavioral, public and community health research coordination for many years, in several institutions including Columbia University School of Public Health, Columbia University Medical Center’s Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Health, CUNY School of Public Health, NYU Medical Center and The New School’s School of Social Research.
Aside from my work as a researcher, I have also felt drawn to projects, political work and activism from a feminist perspective. This interest led me to co-found Las Marías, a bilingual Spanish-English gender justice education project for people unfamiliar with feminist thought. Leveraging my background in psychology, research, teaching, and group facilitation, I co-designed critical pedagogy workshops to educate youth and others on the emotional and political tools that feminist discourse offers. I have also worked in development and grant-writing for feminist initiatives on community care, and partnered with organizations including Brooklyn Public Library, The Door, El Puente, Loisaida Center, Hispanic Federation, and more. Furthermore, I have been awarded residencies and fellowships at institutions including Clocktower Radio at Pioneer Works and MIT Feminist Futures.
Recently, my interests have shifted towards developing practice-based research projects, exploring the care economy, and employing feminist methodologies centered around environmental action and equity. Some of the feminist themes I am particularly interested in include caregiving, care and emotional labor, collaborative knowledge production and preservation, digital space governance, climate action regulations, public mental health, and corporate regulations/accountability.