Our Team
Juan-Luis Suárez
Director, Philosopher, Digital Humanist, Runner, Amateur Cook
I founded the CulturePlex Lab in 2010 with funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation with the goal of establishing a creative place to help define the digital transformation. My work focuses on the digital condition, cultural analytics, the language of groups, cultural networks theory, and creativity.
Yadira Lizama-Mué
Software Engineer, Data & Peace Researcher, Project Manager
I am a Postdoctoral Fellow at the CulturePlex Lab. My research interests are focused on data science (artificial intelligence, NLP, networks, and statistics) mainly applied to Peace Innovation.
Zeina Dghaim
Museum Collections & Education, Visual artist inspired in nature
My doctoral research focuses on renewing museum collections through motion design and cultural networks. My work promotes a sense of wonder, curiosity, coexistence, and beauty to inspire people of all ages. I believe in creative work that helps people, organisations, and communities reach their highest potential and approach all my projects with these deep-rooted values.
Ana Ruiz-Segarra
Computer Graphics Engineer & Humanist, Video game enthusiast
I am a Ph.D. student and a specialist in data analysis, visualization, graphic and web design, and coding. My Ph.D. research focuses on developing VR games and digital experiences for courses in the Humanities. As a researcher at the CulturePlex Lab, I use network theory and data visualization to analyze the behaviour and interactions of people in online communities.
Emilio Calderón
Cultural data analyst, Innovation Scout, Coffee Aficionado
I am a researcher at the CulturePlex Lab and a Ph.D. student in Hispanic Studies at the Department of Languages and Cultures. My research focuses on analyzing cultural networks combining quantitative and qualitative methods. In addition, I examine the digital transformations of cultural organizations to understand how they envision creative solutions.
Mario Cabal Muriel
Peacebuilding & Conflict Resolution, Guitar Fan
I am a Ph.D. student in Hispanic Studies at the Department of Languages and Cultures, Western University. My research interests focus on reconciliation processes, reparation of victims and conflict resolution through symbolic acts such as murals of memory. I use a mixed research methodology based on digital humanities and social ethnography.
Bárbara Romero-Ferrón
Digital Art History. Museums & Art Collections
I am a digital art history researcher at the CulturePlex Lab, at Western University, Canada, and at the iArtHislab group, University of Málaga, Spain. I am a third-year PhD in the Languages and Cultures Department at Western University. My research focuses on art exhibition data, data curation in GLAM, information visualization, and digital art history.
María Paula Espejo
Political scientist, Conflict resolution, Food & travel lover
I am building a creative method that leverages innovation to strengthen peacebuilding through gastronomy in post-conflict societies. I am working on a roadmap that will enhance cultural networks between sustainability, citizenship, and reconciliation. This method will advance on the betterment of society by introducing responsible and conscious use of natural resources.
Celia Carrasco Gil
Hispanic Philologist & Poet, Immersive Experiences
I am a Hispanic Philologist and Poet with a Master of Arts in Comparative Literature and Literary Theory. I am a Ph. D. candidate in Hispanic Studies in the Department of Languages and Cultures of Western University. As a researcher in the CulturePlex Lab, my interests focus on poetry, digital creativity and the phenomenology of embodied wor(l)ds in literature and artistic immersive experiences.
Pilar Rodriguez Mata
Media analyst, educational innovator, avid reader
I am a Ph.D. student at Western University, working on the best method to analyze gender activism in social media. My research aims to explore the present of communication and the most effective ways in which activists are using social media to get their message into the world.
Ricardo Montoya Descalzi
CB psychologist, humanist, journalist, sports lover.
My areas of interest are mainly related to Latin American literature. My MA thesis explored the gap between biography and fiction in Vargas Llosa’s Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter.
My Ph. D focuses on the poetry and music by Joaquin Sabina and their Transatlantic interactions in order to have a better understanding about how his European and Latin American influences shape his identity as an artist.
Luis Reyes Perez
Software Engineer, AI Enthusiast & Nature Lover
I’m a Software Engineer with a degree from the University of Informatic Sciences in Havana, Cuba, I am currently pursuing a Master’s in Arts and Humanities. My research focus on the intersection of artificial intelligence and literary texts, where I explore the use of NLP techniques and models for text-to-image and text-to-audio generation in the creation of immersive experiences.