Meet the Contributors
Adedapo is an inventive and dynamic software developer with experience designing state-of-the-art web, mobile, IoT, and cloud engineering solutions. He is proficient in a variety of frameworks and programming languages, specializing in developing scalable and resilient applications. He utilizes cutting-edge technologies to address intricate challenges, propel digital revolutionization, and generate memorable user experiences.
Ana supports the implementation of the Bureau’s innovation strategy, including direct support to regional and country initiatives. She will also support the implementation of other strategic regional initiatives. Ana has nine years of experience working in the fields of international development and social impact. She has gained extensive expertise in spearheading innovative projects dedicated to poverty eradication, implementing the Sustainable Development Goals, and fostering the growth of the fourth sector of the economy. She holds a Master of Public Administration in Development Practice from Columbia University.
Ana M. Grijalva is an economist, social innovator, and digital advocate with 10 years of experience. She has vast experience in development contexts in program management, implementation, advocacy, partnership building, resource mobilization, monitoring, and evaluation in social projects. She has expertise on key issues related to education, governance, digitalization, labor market, and gender. She has worked for different agencies of the United Nations (International Institute for Educational Planning and Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean) and for international organizations such as University of Oxford, Inter-American Development Bank, and World Bank. Also, she has experience in Ecuador's public sector and has worked for academia in the United Kingdom and Ecuador. She is excited to collaborate in changing the status quo through public and social innovation, digital transformation, technology, and civic engagement in her current role as Head of Exploration at the UNDP Accelerator Lab.
Bethsabé is an economist, social innovator, and data scientist with 10 years of experience. She has experience in program management, partnership building and implementation of social projects. She is an advocate for local development, entrepreneurship, financial inclusion, and open government. She has worked in various public institutions in Ecuador and non-profit foundations. She is excited contribute reduce poverty and inequality through innovation, digital transformation, collective intelligence, and microfinance.
Carlos experience and interests comprise data and social analytics, information and communication technologies (ICT) and socio-economic development in underserved communities. At UNDP Accelerator Labs, he leads the discovery and sense-making of emerging trends and their potential for accelerating progress toward SDGs, including fostering data-driven methodologies, establishing strategic data partnerships, and deploying scalable digital solutions. Carlos has collaborated in data initiatives in the United States, Europe, Africa, and Latin America for the Inter-American Development Bank, United Nations Foundation, MIT Media Lab, and Data-Pop Alliance, and deployed digital solutions for US-based startups and telecommunications providers. Carlos is currently an MIT Connection Science Fellow, holds an M.S. Data Analytics, Management and Policy from Carnegie Mellon University and a B.S. in Electronic Engineering from Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala.
Gabriel is a specialist in research for innovation and Cultural Designer, he is passionate about the experiences and formats developed to nurture and strengthen creativity and human bonds. With extensive experience in creative industries and social innovation, he has developed projects with and for public and private institutions and agents of change in Lima, Sao Paulo and Barcelona. As Head of Solution Mapping, he leads the co-creation processes, learning, identification, strengthening and scaling processes of citizen solutions in connection with the global network of Accelerator Labs.
Gabriela Ríos Landa is the Head of Exploration at the Accelerator Lab of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Mexico. She is part of a global network of professionals working to reimagine development and accelerate learning to achieve more sustainable futures. Before joining UNDP, she worked at the Laboratory for the City, the experimental arm of the government of Mexico City, developing innovative strategies to address public issues. She holds a master's degree in Future Studies from the Free University of Berlin and a bachelor's degree in Industrial Design from the Iberoamerican University in Mexico City.
Javier Brolo is a social scientist specialized in quantitative and qualitative research methods. His academic training is in Philosophy, Mathematics, and Political Science. He has worked as the lead researcher in different Think Tanks and as a university professor. His interest in crude developing solutions to complex social problems, strengthening democratic institutions, attitude and behavior changes, and conducting impact evaluations with diverse and committed teams.
Jorge is the Head of Solutions Mapping at the Accelerator Lab of UNDP in Mexico. He seeks to generate learning for complex development challenges through close ties with communities facing these challenges. In the context of complex development challenges, he advocates for innovative methodologies to strengthen collaborations and collective intelligence with a systemic perspective, as well as the strengthening of grassroots solutions. With 15 years of experience, he has worked on promoting people-centered strategies for public institutions and international organizations.
Lorena Moscovich is head of experimentation at the UNDP Argentina accelerator. Her academic background includes a bachelor's degree in political science, a Master's, and a PhD in Social Sciences from the University of Buenos Aires. In addition, she is an affiliated researcher at the University of San Andrés, where she has worked as a professor and led governance programs. She has published in scientific journals in various countries and participated in academic meetings and given talks at universities in her country and abroad, including Harvard, Berkeley, Oxford, and Brown. She was also a visiting scholar at Columbia University, with the support of a Fulbright Commission and a visiting researcher at Brown University. Currently, she co-leads a project on the history of decentralization in Argentina.
Luis is an economist with extensive experience in the field of sustainable development. Currently serving as the Head of Experimentation at the UNDP Accelerator Lab in Mexico, he has built a professional trajectory with 11 years of experience in designing and implementing public policies, applied social research, capacity-building program development, policy impact evaluation, resource mobilization strategy design, and team mentoring through change processes. He is passionate about development economics and designing new paradigms that enable us to transition towards a more inclusive and sustainable world.
María Eugenia López is the Head of Exploration for the Argentina Accelerator Lab. She studied Biology at the University of Buenos Aires and earned a master's degree in Neuroscience and Education from Columbia University in New York. During her time there, she worked in the Department of Epidemiology, conducting a meta-analysis of primary interventions on the leading causes of death worldwide. Upon returning to Buenos Aires, Eugenia focused on science communication through various mediums such as museums, exhibitions, camps, social media, and audiovisual productions. She taught at the Faculty of Exact and Natural Sciences at the University of Buenos Aires and served as a professor at the Favaloro University and the University of San Andrés.
María Verónica is the Head of Solutions Mapping for the Argentina Accelerator Lab since 2019. She has experience in international organizations, academia, and the public and private sector. She has worked as an undergraduate and graduate professor and researcher at the University of Buenos Aires (UBA, by its Spanish acronym). She has a Doctorate in Social Sciences (UBA), a Master's Degree in Public Policy from the Torcuato Di Tella University and a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology from the University of Salvador.
Connector between the public and private sectors, motivated to navigate uncertainty and identify emerging opportunities to translate them to different actors in the system. Her experience includes working as a consultant at the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank, an advisor to the Peruvian government, and as a public affairs manager for startups and corporations.
Since 2021, Patricia has served as the Head of Solutions Mapping at the UNDP Accelerator Lab Bolivia. In this role, she endeavors to drive innovation for development by utilizing new sources of information to make informed decisions, applying collective intelligence methods, and implementing a systems transformation approach across diverse fields such as gender, environment, and digital inclusion. She holds a bachelor’s degree in system approaches, an MBA, and has completed post-graduate studies in statistics, gender, and micro-economy of competitiveness.
Paulina es socióloga con una maestría en Género y Salud. Dedicó 8 años a la investigación acción en Madrid, España, con énfasis en precariedad femenina. En Ecuador, fue Directora Nacional de Salud Intercultural, puesto que le permitió diseñar y adaptar políticas públicas para reducir las barreras de acceso a la salud. Fue coordinadora del proyecto de Fortalecimiento de la Atención Primaria en Salud en la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS/OMS). Actualmente ocupa el rol de Mapeo de Soluciones en el Laboratorio de Aceleración del Programa de Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo, aportando soluciones para el desarrollo a través de la innovación comunitaria.