Iván Ojeda-Pereira, 27, from Chile, will defend his dissertation at LUT on 23 October 2026. He is delighted with his time in Finland and with being the first person to earn a Doctor of Social Sciences degree from LUT University.
Ojeda-Pereira’s dissertation explores how justice is constructed and integrated into a national sustainable transition policy in Chile. Over the past decade, sustainable transitions have made remarkable technological progress. However, much remains unresolved in their public policy and social dimensions. Like many changes throughout history, this transition risks causing unintended harm and deepening certain inequalities. That makes it increasingly important to ask how the state, companies, and civil society can ensure a just transition.
“While we all agree that the sustainable transition should also be socially just, the real challenge lies in what it means in practice. How can we build sustainable transition policies that integrate justice? How do we measure them? How do we define them? These are the questions my dissertation seeks to understand,” Ojeda-Pereira says.
It is also important to recognise how much contexts differ around the world. The sustainable transition cannot be debated in the abstract, using only numbers and large-scale metrics.
“We need to understand how these transitions move forward or stall in specific contexts with their own cultural, economic, and political realities. My dissertation provides important findings on the difficulties that arise when justice is integrated into a public policy framework in a country such as Chile, whose development is centred on an extractive model.”
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The use of planetary resources is a question of justice
Ojeda-Pereira says he has always worked at the boundary between of the social sciences and other fields. He also carries out related research on the management and risks of mine tailings, the impacts of lithium extraction as a form of water mining, and the geography and clustering of mining and energy infrastructures.
Before starting his dissertation, Ojeda-Pereira conducted fieldwork in Tierra del Fuego, at the far southern end of Patagonia; on Easter Island; and in the Salar de Atacama in northern Chile, and it was this work that led him to place the question of justice at the centre of his doctoral research.
“I believe my study reveals several highly relevant points. Overall, I think the most important one is that integrating justice into transition policy remains an unresolved challenge. Resolving it is also complex because it varies from one context to another – there is no universal rule.”
Strengthening collaboration between LUT University and Latin American universities
Ojeda-Pereira’s dissertation will earn him a double degree from LUT University and the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, which both jointly supervised the dissertation. Completing a doctoral degree means developing not only as a researcher but also as an intellectual. Ojeda-Pereira says LUT University has played an important role in this development process by giving him some distance from which to think about Chile.
“I would also like to highlight LUT’s role in strengthening my interdisciplinary profile. Having the opportunity to talk with colleagues in electrical, mechanical, industrial, and chemical engineering has been fundamental to my thinking. This is partly because they see the world differently, and I have been able to learn from these other explanatory mechanisms and other ways of doing research,” Ojeda-Pereira says.
The double degree allowed Ojeda-Pereira to build strong research networks in Chile and gain valuable international experience in Finland.
“I would like to point out that agreements like this often depend heavily on individuals, and the commitment, motivation, and support of my supervisor Antti Silvast at LUT University have been truly admirable. Immigration has its own requirements, and I came with my wife. I had Antti's support at every stage of applying for grants so that I could come.”
Ojeda-Pereira spent his first months in Finland on an EDUFI Fellowship from the Finnish government and was later hired by LUT as junior researcher. His research has appeared in more than 30 scientific publications, including Science and Nature’s Humanities and Social Sciences Communications. In 2026, he also received the Best Graduate Student Paper Award from the Latin American Studies Association.
“I believe my double degree is important because it opens up a concrete opportunity for LUT University to collaborate with Latin American universities. I currently have invitations to visit universities in Europe and Latin America, including the University of Cambridge, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and the Universidad Católica del Norte. I hope these visits will move forward and help LUT and me build new collaborations with universities in Europe and Latin America.”
Falling in love with Finland
When Ojeda-Pereira and his wife arrived in Finland in February 2025, they stepped off the plane into below-freezing temperatures and deep snow – a stark contrast to the Chilean summer they had left behind, with temperatures around 30°C.
“It was certainly a big change and a real challenge, but I can only describe it as magnificent. Coming to Finland with my wife has been one of our greatest adventures, and she has now also started her own doctoral studies. We have fallen in love with the Finnish summer, the sauna, Nordic design, and Finland's history. Honestly, it has been wonderful. Also, the group of international friends we have built here is also something very special,” Ojeda-Pereira says.
Follow the public examination online and read the dissertation
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