I am a researcher, consultant, and writer passionate about the intersection of nature and culture.

My name is Ariadna Romans i Torrent, and I am a PhD candidate at the Centre for Sustainable Development Studies (CSDS) at the University of Amsterdam (UvA). My research focuses on urban water metering technologies in Cape Town, South Africa, using this case to examine how to study the “afterlives” of technologies within processes of urban and environmental transformation. My work is supervised by Dr Mendel Giezen (Urban Planning), Dr Karen Paiva Henrique (International Development), Dr Catherine Wong (Sociology), and Dr Anke Wonneberger (Communication Science).

I hold a Master’s degree in International Development Studies from the University of Amsterdam, where I conducted extensive fieldwork on low-income women’s experiences of the water crisis in Cape Town, in collaboration with the Future Water Institute at the University of Cape Town. My academic background also includes a postgraduate diploma in Sustainable Transition and Climate Emergency Management (ESCI-UPF), and two Bachelor’s degrees in Philosophy and Political Science from the University of Barcelona and Pompeu Fabra University. My undergraduate research focused on ecofeminism, care, and gendered dimensions of crisis communication, receiving high academic distinction and recognition.

Prior to starting my PhD, I worked as a Junior Researcher with the Governance and Inclusive Development (GID) group at the University of Amsterdam, contributing to the project “Towards Post-Growth Cities: The Cultural Politics of Mobility Transitions in Barcelona and London,” led by LSE Cities and funded by the British Academy. I have also gained experience as a researcher and consultant with organisations such as NEWAVE – Next Water Governance, KSNET, and the European Green Activist Training, and served as Manager of the Feminisms Section at Ateneu Barcelonès.

Alongside my academic work, I am an active writer and columnist. I contribute weekly to the Catalan digital magazine VIA Empresa and have written for Ethic Magazine, exploring the intersections of politics, urban change, and social justice. I am currently in the final stages of completing my first non-fiction book.

Fluent in Catalan, Spanish, English, French, and doing my best with Italian and Dutch, I am committed to producing engaged research and writing that connects academic knowledge with broader societal debates.