Diana Carolina Arbelaez Ruiz

I study the social and political dimensions of resource extraction to inform dialogue, and policy- and decision-making as part of the energy transition. My interests include the dynamics of raw materials for the energy transition, in particular Emobility, conflict and peacebuilding in mining regions, and indigenous rights and activism in natural resource extraction contexts. I have more than 25 years’ combined experience in the areas of development, social responsibility, peace and conflict studies, and sustainability, with a strong emphasis on the extractive sector.

My current focus is the EU funded SUMET project, Urban Sustainability Responsibilities in the Mobility Electrification – Energy Transition Mineral Demand Nexus (MSCA YUFE4 Postdoctoral Fellowship). SUMET supports sustainable and responsible urban mobility electrification by examining its connection to the demand for energy transition minerals.

At UEF, I have examined the geopolitical and socio-environmental aspects of energy transition minerals from a global perspective. My previous posting was as Senior Research Fellow in the Sustainable Minerals Institute’s Development Minerals Program, where I oversaw the establishment of an online knowledge exchange network for ASM miners and quarry workers – the Delve Exchange. My doctoral thesis dealt with Indigenous community participation in post-conflict mineral resource governance in Colombia. As part of this, I was a Visiting Endeavour Fellow at the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO). Subsequently, I was a Rotary Peace Fellow at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. I held Research Fellow and Research Manager roles at the Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining, Sustainable Minerals Institute, University of Queensland, where I worked on a broad suit of topics focusing on Latin American and Australian sites. I have been a consultant to NGOs and mining companies providing specialist knowledge and advisory services in connection to mining and development projects.