Rafael Calderón-Contreras is a geographer with an MSc in Development and Environmental Sciences and a PhD in Development Studies from the University of East Anglia (UK). His work focuses on sustainability science, social-ecological systems, and transformative change. His research explores how place-based social-ecological research, particularly when co-produced with Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, can enable and inform just, resilient, and sustainable futures.

Most of his research has focused on building collaborative networks to navigate and promote transformations toward resilient and sustainable systems. As a Coordinating Lead Author of the IPBES Transformative Change Assessment, reconnecting people with nature has become a core aspect of his academic and personal life. With a particular interest in how food systems and agricultural practices can trigger real-world, scalable solutions, he has developed a wide array of transdisciplinary frameworks to advance transformative change. Across rural and urban contexts in the Global South and beyond, he has explored how emotions such as love, care, and hope can act as powerful drivers of collective action—enabling people not only to reconnect with nature but also to translate shared values into concrete pathways toward a good Anthropocene.

He is currently coordinating the Latin American Node of the Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (LAPECS) and co-leading the Latin American Regional Hub of the Society for Social-Ecological Systems (SocSES). Through these roles, he supports participatory living-lab initiatives across Latin America and Europe, promoting co-production, transdisciplinary approaches, and actionable strategies for sustainability transformations.