Hi, I’m Giulia Sonetti—a researcher, educator, and facilitator passionate about sustainability, emotional well-being, and how we can transform our institutions and environments into more caring, just, and regenerative spaces.

I currently work as a Beatriu de Pinós Fellow at the Research Institute for Sustainability Science and Technology at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya – BarcelonaTech, and as a future Marie Skłodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellow at ISGlobal.

My academic background is rooted in Architecture, Renewable Energy, and Territory Planning, and I hold a PhD in Environment and Territory. Over the years, I’ve complemented my technical formation with tools from the social sciences, education, participatory design, and emotional ecology. I believe that true transformation happens when knowledge becomes embodied, co-created, and emotionally meaningful.

What I do

Much of my current work focuses on transdisciplinary and participatory research that connects health, space, and care. I co-design and lead projects that bring together hospitals, research centers, communities, and artists to reimagine public spaces as ecosystems of well-being. Two examples I’m particularly proud of are:

• ReHEALMS, a New European Bauhaus project I co-lead with wonderful colleagues at the Hospital de Sant Pau and UPC, exploring hospital environments as spaces of emotional healing and community sustainability.

• Cycling to Care (C2C), my MSCA project on climate anxiety and nature-based interventions, where we use intergenerational tricyle rides as a form of emotional and environmental literacy in motion.

In addition to research, I teach, mentor students, and facilitate workshops using tools from transformative learning, citizen science, foresight, embodied methods, and co-creative leadership. I’ve contributed to initiatives like the EIT Urban Mobility Summer School, the Postdoc Academy for Transformational Leadership, and the Inner Development Goals (IDGs) community.

I also write—on everything from poetic ecology to systems thinking—and collaborate with networks across Europe on sustainability transitions, planetary health, and educational innovation.

Accreditations & Affiliations

I’ve been accredited as an Associate Professor in Social Sciences in Catalonia, recognized as a Lecturer in Engineering and Architecture by the AQU, and hold a National Scientific Qualification in Infrastructure and Transport Systems. But titles aside, what motivates me most is working across disciplines and institutions to facilitate processes of shared learning, reflection, and change.