I am a freelance data scientist working at the intersection between data, research and policy. I work for many international organisations, including the European Commission, and various UN agencies, with a particular specialisation in building (composite) indicator solutions. I am also a researcher in various fields, including sensitivity analysis.

I am a mechanical engineer by training, graduating with a MEng with Mechanical Engineering with Spanish, followed by a PhD with a focus on uncertainty analysis in large nonlinear models, both at the University of Sheffield, UK.

Following my PhD I worked for nine years at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre in Italy. I began as a researcher in sensitivity analysis, particularly in machine learning approaches. Over time I began to work in other fields, including impact assessment, and data analysis and composite indicator development. I was a senior researcher simultaneously in the Competence Centre on Modelling and the Competence Centre on Composite Indicators and Scoreboards.

Since 2020 I have worked as a freelance data scientist for many international organisations. In particular, I developed the open source COINr R package, which is now used worldwide for developing and analysing composite indicators. This has been the basis of many recent projects, including for the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, the World Intellectual Property Organisation, the UNHCR, the European Commission, and various NGOs.

I have a solid academic record with around 30 journal publications, plus book chapters, keynotes, organising conferences and so on. Most of my publications are in the field of sensitivity analysis and its applications, or composite indicators. See my ResearchGate and Google Scholar profiles for more details.

I am someone who loves to work across different subjects and fields. I’ve worked in subjects from economics, sustainable development and globalisation, to biomechanics, climate change and software engineering. This keeps me learning new things and constantly meeting new and interesting people. Variety is the spice of life!

Interests
  • Applied data analysis
  • Machine learning
  • Composite indicators
  • Sensitivity analysis
  • Uncertainty analysis
  • Statistical programming
  • Software development
  • Clear writing
Education
  • PhD in Mechanical Engineering, 2011

    University of Sheffield, UK

  • MEng in Mechanical Engineering with Spanish, 2006

    University of Sheffield, UK