I am a Ramón y Cajal Tenure-Track Professor of Jurisprudence-Bioethics at the Law & Philosophy Group of Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona. I am also a founding member of the UPF-Centre for Animal Ethics, a think tank dedicated to the promotion of the full consideration of nonhuman animals in all areas of public life.
Previously I was employed as a Beatriu de Pinós Postdoctoral Fellow and teacher in legal, moral, and political philosophy at Pompeu Fabra University’s Law Department. I earned my Ph.D. in Moral Philosophy at Pompeu Fabra University in 2014, where I also obtained my Bachelor’s (2007) and Master’s (2008) degrees in Law. I have also been a FCT Postdoctoral Fellow at the Centre for Ethics, Politics and Society of the University of Minho (Braga, Portugal).
My current research focuses on the political and legal standing of nonhuman beings at the frontiers of our moral concern, particularly nonhuman animals and potentially sentient AI systems. I am working on the inclusion of these entities in politically liberal theories of democratic legimacy, as well as its implications for the design of institutions of animal and AI governance. In have also written extensively on our reasons to alleviate wild animal suffering and on neorepublican approaches to the political status of nonhuman animals. Neorepublicanism understands freedom as immunity from domination. Animals and other nonhuman sentients should enjoy that freedom as our fellow citizens. Though I think it is best if we pursue freedom as nondomination in the political realm, I agree with utilitarians that what matters, in an ultimate or fundamental sense, is that sentient beings enjoy the happiest possible lives. The overwhelming majority of sentient individuals are wild animals, who likely have lives full of suffering due to natural events. I believe we have a duty to help them. You can learn more about my views here.
I have also advocated for the legal and political consideration of animals outside academia. For many years I was a spokesperson for Animal Ethics, a non-profit aligned with the values of effective altruism. I also spearheaded the creation of the animal rights and welfare committe, which I chaired for four years, of a local party with government responsibilities, frequently engaging with stakeholders in Catalonia, Spain, and the EU. I strongly believe in the need to engage in politics in order to create a better world for all sentient beings, both human and nonhuman.