Open to opportunities

Luis Gustavo Arruda User

@luisgustavoarrudause

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Transdisciplinary program leader driving data-informed ESG, policy, and education impact.

Brazil

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What I'm looking for

I seek roles where I can lead transdisciplinary programs, design M&E systems, advise policy, and scale data-driven educational initiatives in collaborative, impact-focused organizations.

I am a transdisciplinary program leader with a PhD in Biological Sciences who leverages quantitative and qualitative data methodologies to design Measurement & Evaluation systems for complex, decentralized programs.

I have led multi-institutional projects integrating agroecology into municipal feeding programs and scaled a citizen-science data network that produced an educational book and teacher's guide used for scalable training.

My work includes high-level public policy liaison, third-party program evaluation, and multi-agency governance advisory with demonstrated success in translating technical findings into policy-relevant evidence.

I am multilingual (fluent English and Spanish, native Portuguese) and skilled in systems thinking, complexity management, remote team leadership, digital pedagogical coordination, and impact storytelling.

Experience

Work history, roles, and key accomplishments

Project Coordinator

Center for Nutritional Recovery and Education

Jan 2024 - Dec 2025 (1 year 11 months)

Directed execution and governance across a three-institution consortium to integrate agroecology standards into municipal feeding programs, mitigating inter-agency risk and aligning deliverables with performance metrics.

Program Management Governance Monitoring & Evaluation Stakeholder Engagement Curriculum Design Risk Mitigation

Project Leader & Product Developer

Institute of Advanced Studies (IEA/USP)

Jan 2020 - Dec 2024 (4 years 11 months)

Led a 4-year citizen science initiative, authoring and launching a pedagogical book and teacher's guide and scaling a decentralized data-collection network to inform food-security policy decisions.

Product Development Training Monitoring & Evaluation

Senior Governance Advisor

Municipal Council for Food and Nutritional Security of São P

Jan 2020 - Dec 2024 (4 years 11 months)

Provided technical policy expertise as co-representative, producing evidence-based recommendations that guided strategic planning on food security and public health for São Paulo and conducted third-party program evaluations for international grants.

Program Evaluation Audit Food Security Public Health Policy Grant Compliance

Education

Degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework

Universidade de São Paulo

Doctor of Philosophy, Biological Sciences (Botany)

2019 - 2023

Activities and societies: Doctoral research on measurement and evaluation systems, systems thinking, and socio-environmental complexity; delivered methodological publications and contributed to program evaluation.

Doctor of Philosophy in Biological Sciences with focus on psychometrics, environmental education, and conservation; recipient of the CAPES PROEX fellowship.