Marla Perez Lugo

Distinguished Senior Fellow

Marla del Pilar Perez Lugo is an environmental sociologist, with expertise in disaster vulnerability and energy governance. She holds a PhD from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and is a professor of sociology at the Department of Social Sciences, University of Puerto Rico. Her work has been published in prestigious academic journals such as The Professional Geographer, Sociological Inquiry and Organizations and the Environment. Together with Dr. Cecilio Ortiz Garcia and Dr. Lionel Orama Exclusa, she is the co-founder of the National Institute for Energy and Island Sustainability of the UPR System and member of its steering committee. Dr. Perez Lugo is also a member of the EPA’s National Advisory Committee and a member of the National Advisory Environmental Health Sciences Council (NAEHSC). Since the impact of hurricane Maria in PR her work has expanded to include issues of community resilience and collaborative partnerships. She is currently on leave from the UPR System and affiliated to the National Council for Science and the Environment as a Senior Fellow. Her position involves the creation of the RISE Network, an interuniversity platform to transform the role of universities in disasters.