How TREES creates change
Transforming reality requires changing the way we think about it.
About us
We are TREES, an initiative of the Universidad de los Andes that brings together research, teaching, and outreach to understand inequalities in all their complexity. We seek to study these inequalities comprehensively—in their social, economic, political, cultural, and environmental dimensions—and to do so within the contexts where they are most pronounced: the countries of the Global South, particularly Latin America.
About us
We are TREES, an initiative of the Universidad de los Andes that brings together research, teaching, and outreach to understand inequalities in all their complexity. We seek to study these inequalities comprehensively—in their social, economic, political, cultural, and environmental dimensions—and to do so within the contexts where they are most pronounced: the countries of the Global South, particularly Latin America.
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Where we begin: understanding
The inequalities in Latin America are historical and structural. They are not limited to income: they affect education, health, political representation, and opportunities.
In contexts of mistrust and polarization, it is not enough to simply create new programs or isolated policies. We must transform the way we understand inequalities.
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The TREES approach
Addressing inequality through knowledge
Tackling inequality requires action across multiple dimensions, all guided and informed by rigorous knowledge.
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TREES works through three interconnected areas:
Research
Uncovers the root causes and consequences of inequality.
Teaching
Brings these insights into classrooms, from schools to universities.
Outreach
Turns evidence into accessible public conversations.
These three areas allow better understand the root causes of inequality, its costs to society as a whole, and help change the way the problem is perceived.
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What makes TREES different
Connecting disciplines, places, and perspectives
Talking about inequality can spark conflicting viewpoints, and criticism provides an opportunity for dialogue.
In this process, TREES It also plays a pivotal role between the global South and the global North: connects contexts, disciplines and perspectives so that knowledge can flow in both directions and be enriched by the diversity of experiences.
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What TREES seeks to influence
The system that produces the ideas, narratives, and conceptual frameworks through which inequalities are understood, taught and discussed.. Thus:
- More informed public policies.
- Private sector practices that expand opportunities.
- Reductions in structural gaps.
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The change TREES aims for
Stronger collective capacity to address inequality
- When research, teaching and outreach, it changes our understanding of inequalities.
- When understanding, changes the way the issue is perceived and debated.
- When public conversation, conditions are created for better decisions, policies and practices become possible.
And when decisions change, real opportunities for social transformation emerge.
Meet the team
Founders and leadership
Leopoldo Fergusson
Co-founder and Head of Research
Full time Professor of Economics at Universidad de los Andes and PhD in Economics from MIT. His work sits at the intersection of political economy, development, and economic history, with a focus on institutions, conflict, fiscal policy, media, and inequality.
At TREES, he leads the research agenda on the causes and consequences of inequality. His experience leading multidisciplinary teams and research centers strengthens the initiative’s methodological rigor and international reach.
Contact: [email protected]
Website
Paula Jaramillo
Head of Teaching
Associate Professor of Economics at Universidad de los Andes and PhD in Economics from the University of Rochester. Her research focuses on microeconomics, game theory, market design, resource allocation, and matching theory.
At TREES, she heads the Teaching component, leading curriculum design, the creation of teaching resources, and work with the Community of Practice. Her combination of rigorous theoretical training and pedagogical leadership strengthens the integration of equity into various educational contexts.
Contact: [email protected]
Juan Camilo Cárdenas
Co-founder and Head of Outreach
Full time Professor of Economics at Universidad de los Andes and PhD in Environmental and Resource Economics from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. His research focuses on collective action, cooperation, and institutional design to address social dilemmas in equitable and sustainable ways, combining lab and field experiments with work in communities and public policy spaces.
At TREES, he leads the outreach and engagement strategy, connecting research and teaching with media, regional partnerships, and decision-makers. He also directs the Center for the Sustainable Development Goals for Latin America and the Caribbean (CODS), strengthening dialogue between academia, society, and public policy.
Contact: [email protected]
Jimena Hurtado
Co-founder
Full time Professor of Economics and Vice President for Research and Creation at Universidad de los Andes. She holds degrees in Economics and Political Science from this university, as well as master’s degrees in Economics and Economic Epistemology from Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne, and a PhD in Economics from Université Paris X Nanterre.
Her research focuses on economic philosophy and its relationship with political philosophy, with a particular interest in the history of economic thought and the philosophy of science. As creator and co-founder of TREES, she contributed to shaping its conceptual foundation for understanding and teaching inequality from the Global South.
Contact: [email protected]
General Coordination
Silvia Mongelós
General Coordinator
She holds a degree in International Relations and a master’s in Economics from UNAM, with additional training in international cooperation and development. She has over ten years of experience managing and implementing programs across Latin America, particularly in education, environmental issues, and institutional strengthening.
Coordinates the strategic operation of the initiative: brings together teams, funding, and partners; supports the design and execution of calls for proposals; and ensures the efficient implementation of projects and international partnerships.
Contact: [email protected]
Teaching Team
Sara Serrano
Teaching Coordinator
Economist with a master’s in Economics from Universidad de los Andes. She teaches Thinking Problems at Universidad de los Andes and has served as a teaching assistant in Game Theory. She currently works at Colombia’s National Administrative Department of Statistics (DANE) in the poverty and inequality team. Her work has included volunteering in initiatives that promote equity across educational contexts. Her interests focus on early childhood education and reducing inequality and poverty gaps.
At TREES, she supports the coordination of the teaching agenda, works closely with educators, and contributes to the development of pedagogical resources that connect research with classroom practice.
Contact: [email protected]
Andrés Bautista
Community of Practice Coordinator
He holds a degree in Education with a focus on Humanities and a PhD in Education from Universidad de los Andes. His doctoral research explored the role of communities of practice in shaping pedagogical approaches.
At TREES, he coordinates the Community of Practice and the Pedagogical Labs, fostering peer learning and the collective development of resources to teach social justice and equity.
Contact: [email protected]
Daniela Moreno Farfán
Teaching Assistant
She is an undergraduate student in Government and Public Affairs with a minor in Sociology at Universidad de los Andes. Since 2024, she has been a member of UNESCO’s Youth Network for SDG 4. She previously worked with the Colombian delegation to UNESCO and has served as a research assistant at Universidad de los Andes on projects related to education, entrepreneurship, community empowerment, and socio-emotional learning.
At TREES, she coordinates the student research group that supports undergraduate students in reflecting on inequalities and equity through research, teaching, and outreach. She also manages the Resource Bank, promoting the training of young researchers and the creation of pedagogical materials on equity.
Contact: [email protected]
Communications and Outreach Team
Angie Bautista Silva
Communications Coordinator
Social communicator and journalist, with a master's in journalism from Universidad de los Andes. She has over ten years of experience designing and implementing communication strategies that translate complex research into clear and accessible narratives.
At TREES, she leads the editorial and multimedia strategy, developing content, campaigns, and formats that expand public conversations on inequality.
Contact: [email protected]
María Camila Lozano Rivas
Designer
Designer from Universidad de los Andes, responsible for TREES’ visual development. She leads the creation of graphic materials, digital products, and multimedia formats that translate research and teaching into clear, coherent, and accessible visual experiences.
Her work strengthens the project’s identity and helps bring knowledge on inequality to diverse audiences in a rigorous and engaging way.
Contact: [email protected]
Milestones
- Research
- Teaching
- Outreach
June
EPE Network Meeting Santa Fe
October
EPE Network Meeting Cairo
November
Creation of TREES
May
Research Grant Fund I Call for Proposals
Creation of the TREES visual identity
June
Creation of the Community of Practice (CoP)
August
First CoP Knowledge Dialogue
Launching of the first pedagogical teaching resources
September
Launching of social networks
First Territorial Dialogue on Inequality - Cali
October
Care Congress
November
The Washington Consensus
Territorial Dialogue Medellín
January
Grant Fund II Call for Proposals
First predoctoral fellow
February
Community of Practice Meeting
Launching of the first Café with TREES
Barranquilla Territorial Dialogue
March
Visit CMPR Community of Practice
April
Grant Fund III Call for Proposals
Community of Practice Meeting
Bucaramanga Territorial Dialogue
May
Master City Meeting
Territorial Dialogue Florence
June
Summer Institute
EPE Network Meeting Mexico
TREES 2024 Challenge
July
First CEDE - TREES document published
Complexity Global School 2024
August
First pedagogical laboratory
Villavicencio Territorial Dialogue
September
Grant Fund I Workshop
PEGS Conference Cairo
Launching of the TREES Sheets Newsletter
Last Territorial Dialogue on Inequality - Bogota
October
Session TREES Congress Economics
Student Congress Cali
Corona Foundation Meeting
Teaching at COP-16
Vox Pop Ugly Betty the Ugly
November
LATAM Triad Inequities Congress
Second CEDE-TREES document published
Teaching Initiatives Meeting
December
ECINEQ PRAEM TREES Session
January
Course Doing Economics 2
February
Welcome Advisory Committee
First students sent for international study abroad
March
Cinema and Inequality Course
April
Special focus on education and social cohesion
May
Grant Fund II Workshop
First Module of face-to-face teaching
Education and Social Cohesion Forum
June
London Global Meeting
Soacha Community of Practice Event
July
Doctoral Dissertation Camp
Complexity Global School 2025
Special Environmental Justice
August
First e-learning module
September
Whither Meritocracy?
Launching of TREES
October
AI, Ethics, and Society Conference - AIES
Triad Congress Violence and (in)security in Latin America
Third and fourth CEDE-TREES documents issued
November
Second meeting with the Advisory Committee
Fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth CEDE-TREES documents issued
Closing Interdepartmental TREES Challenge 2025
Partner Network
We collaborate with universities, research centers, and organizations that promote knowledge to build more equitable and sustainable societies in the Global North and South
- El Colegio de México
- Applied Economics Program
- Santa Fe Institute
- Columbia University
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Pathways: beyond neoliberalism: voices from MENA
- London School of Economics and Political Science
- CORE-Econ
- University College London
- Harvard University
- Sustainable Development Goals Center
- Center for Critical Imagination
- Southern Centre for Inequality Studies
- Howard University
- University of California, Berkeley
- University of Oxford
- Rosario University
- Let's reimagine
- Evidence in Governance and Politics
- Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
Interested in what we do?
Supports or collaborates with TREES.
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