Luis Alexis Rodríguez-Cruz

Luis Alexis Rodríguez Cruz is an interdisciplinary social scientist and writer based in Juana Díaz, Puerto Rico. For over ten years he has been working with farmers, fishers, grassroots organizations, academic and governmental institutions in applied research projects and capacity-building strategies that support climate adaptation and public health outcomes.

Dr. Rodríguez-Cruz's scholarship explores the social dimensions of food systems in the context of disasters and natural hazards. His writing for different media covers food, the environment, science, and policy. On every Sunday, Luis Alexis cooks and publishes La Fiambrera, a newsletter where he writes about social, cultural, and scientific topics related to Puerto Rico’s food systems. In 2023, he published his second collection of short stories, titled, “Al otro lado”.

Luis Alexis holds a PhD in food systems and a graduate certificate in agroecology from the University of Vermont, a MS in food science and technology and a BS in biology and biotechnology from the Mayagüez and Ponce campuses of the University of Puerto Rico, respectively. Currently, he lectures at the Department of Agricultural Technology at the University of Puerto Rico-Utuado, is a contributing writer to Yale Climate Connections, and works on different research and outreach projects as a research consultant and project manager. You can learn more about him and his work at www.luisalexis.com.