Diego has led the research and international programs at USFQ for over ten years. His vision contributed to making USFQ accomplish the Number 1 post in Latin America in internationalization (Times Higher Education). His most recent position was Dean of Research and International Affairs and Co-Director of the Galapagos Campus in San Cristóbal, Galapagos. Diego obtained his Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of Illinois at Urbana, Champaign. His research focus is Urban Ecology, Political Ecology, and Medical Anthropology in the Galapagos, Amazon Basin, and the Andes. Diego has been working constantly in the region's biodiversity and vulnerability research as well as traditional medicine. Diego believes that the role of universities is to be a part of the innovation ecosystem and that it should be tied to the community needs to develop public policy and support the private sector. His professional approach is rooted in the Liberal Arts, which encourages collaborative, interdisciplinary teams where each member leverages their expertise to advance research"