Luis Alexis
Rodríguez Cruz
Hi! My name is Luis Alexis and I am a writer, science communicator, and researcher based in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico
I strive to bring visibility and knowledge on issues related to our food systems. The works that I do contribute to our understanding about how we can achieve a food system capable of feeding us, without undermining our natural resources and social wellbeing, within the climate crisis and the social-political contexts we face.
Writer, artist, and science communicator
My writing covers food systems, the environment, science, and policy. My essays in general explore examples of a positive future in the Caribbean and abroad. I guide myself through solutions journalism’s principles, as well as by food and environmental justice principles. My pieces are also inform by my decade-plus experience as a researcher, social scientist, and subject-matter expert on food systems. My bylines appear in El Nuevo Día, Yale Climate Connections, 80grados, NextCity, Ciencia Puerto Rico and Science, and in other outlets.
I lead and collaborate in different science communication and outreach projects to generate and facilitate educational resources and decision-making-support-tools on climate adaptation, policy and public health. I have worked with Migrant Clinicians Network, the UPR Agricultural Extension Service, Ciencia Puerto Rico, the Culebra Fishing Association and the USDA Caribbean Climate Hub, among other organizations and institutions on such efforts.
In 2023 I started La Fiambrera, a newsletter where I write about social, cultural, and scientific topics related to Puerto Rican agriculture, fishing, gastronomy, and policy. It is a weekly publication on Substack to think about and understand our food systems. This creative and educational project has allowed me to unify my interests in storytelling and science communication.
Narrative is my way of expressing myself artistically. I write fiction and chronicles. As a writer, one of my main intentions is to create aesthetic experiences. My short stories reflect a curiosity to understand how our environments work, to understand human behavior from different perspectives. I use science fiction, horror and fantasy to explore existentialist and scientific ideas and concerns. I also weave in my personal expereinces to write memorir essays and chronicles.
In 2023 I published my second collection of short stories, Al otro lado. The characters that inhabit that book explore the mysteries inside and outside of themselves from different aspects: from the desire to create, from what they dream, and from the need to provide and be of service. And in 2015, I also independently published my first book of short stories, Cuentos color mostaza. It was a book that helped me transcend obstacles that were limiting me. My short stories have appeared in some anthologies and magazines in Puerto Rico and in 2015 I received an Honorable Mention in Poetry at the Literary Contest of the University of Puerto Rico in Mayagüez.
Interdisciplinary social scientist
I describe myself as a food systems and interdisciplinary social scientist. In general, I am interested in the social dimensions of food systems, considering sustainability and public health outcomes, in the context of disasters and natural hazards.
I work with farmers, fishers, organizations and institutions interested in food systems issues, including community-based groups, NGOs, and government, on different research projects, capacity building strategies, and science communication and public engagement activities that support climate adaptation and public health, as it informs policy and program development. I do so while contributing to scientific knowledge and social theories that advance our understanding social-ecoligical systems functioning and decision-making processes.
I have 10 years of experience co-leading and developing interdisciplinary, collaborative and applied projects using mixed methods and participatory approaches. Currently, I am the director of research and outreach at the Caribbean Agroecology Institute, a contributing writer for Yale Climate Connections and other media, and I also work as a science communicator and researcher in different projects. I have been a consultant for governmental agencies and NGOs on project development and management, extension and science communication startegies, among other works on food systems topics.
As a scientist trained in public universities, I made a commitment to follow participatory research principles, publish in open access journals, translate my work into Puerto Rican Spanish, and do my best to get involved in science outreach initiatives.
I have a PhD in food systems from the University of Vermont, where I also completed a graduate certificate in agroecology; I completed a master’s degree in food science and technology and a bachelor’s degree in biology with a minor in biotechnology at the Mayagüez and Ponce campuses of the University of Puerto Rico, respectively.
In my CV and in my Research page you can find more about my professional experiences, my publications, and details about my projects.
When I am not working
I enjoy and love to spend time preserving and strengthening my emotional relationships with friends and family, creating new connections, exploring places and restaurants, devouring series and books, painting, cooking, taking pictures; also, as a good Caribbean, I like la gozadera y el sandungueo.
I also enjoy doing nothing when I can and paying attention to my emotional hygiene.
A while ago I started to dedicate more time to pottery. Like collage and watercolor, it is part of the set of arts that helps me express myself and practice stillness. And I have been playing beach tennis and borad games more often, particularly with my nephew.
I enjoy social media and love documenting what I do and eat on Instagram.
Fellowships and awards
I am a 2023 Public Voices Fellow, a 2021 Grist 50, a 2020 Switzer Environmental Fellow, a 2020 COMPASS Science Sentinel, a 2022 finalist of the AAAS Mass Media Fellowship, a Gund Institute Fellow, a 2018 Yale Ciencia Academy Fellow and a 2019 Borlaug Summer Institute on Food Security Fellow.
Also, with Dr. Bianca Valdés, I co-directed the Red de Acción Puertorriqueña para una Política Pública Basada en Evidencia (PR SPAN) in 2020. And I am a member of Ciencia Puerto Rico, of the Puerto Rico Agricultural Sciences Society (SOPCA) and of the Agroecology and Livelihoods Collaborative.
In my CV you can see the full list of the 20 fellowships and awards I have won and received.
Do you have any questions about me or want to connect?
Soy un escritor, comunicador científico e investigador juanadino que se la pasa investigando, creando y comiendo.
I am a writer, science communicator, and researcher based in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico
Luis Alexis 