Michelle Lezana

Achievements

I have attracted and managed approximately ≈ USD $5.3 M / EUR €5.0 M (CLP $5 billion) in competitive public and international funding from Chile’s Ministry of Education and regional governments, enhancing institutional R&D&I competitiveness and positioning universities for long-term sustainability in research and innovation policy.

At the University of Aysén, I spearheaded the implementation Isotope UAysén, one of Chile’s first CRIS (Current Research Information System) in partnership with Digital Science. I enabled research performance analytics, automatic bibliometric monitoring, and open-data integration aligned with national STI (Science, Technology and Innovation) indicators with the standard of leading research organizations such as AstraZeneca, University of Oxford, Duke University and the University of Melbourne amongst others, creating a foundation of technology and market-leading data that drive research progress. Additionally, I founded RESIDENCIA REMOTA —Chile’s first art-science (SciArt) residency program —creating Universidad de Aysén's inaugural institutional art collection and fostering interdisciplinary knowledge production and science dissemination.

Between 2018 and 2022, I contributed to MIMIR Andino (Modernization of Institutional Management of Research and Innovation in Latin America), an EU-funded Erasmus+ Capacity-Building in Higher Education (CBHE) project led by ASCUN (Association of Colombian Universities) and OBREAL Global. Within a consortium of 20 universities from Europe and the Andean region, I participated in the creation and design of the Institutional Management Model for Research and Innovation, a reference framework now adopted across several higher-education systems. This experience consolidated my expertise in research governance, capacity building, international cooperation, and strategic management of R&I ecosystems.

Recently, I won a scholarship in I+D+i Management from the Organization of Ibero-American States for Education, Science and Culture (OEI) and the Chilean Ministry of Science, Technology, Knowledge and Innovation, deepening my competencies in R&D policy design, innovation systems, and institutional strategy—further consolidating a career dedicated to advancing evidence-based management, interdisciplinary research excellence, and sustainable development.

My achievements reflect a career grounded in academic excellence, cultural dialogue, and cross-sector innovation. Across every context, I have advanced institutions through strategic foresight, disciplined execution, and an unwavering commitment to equity and impact.

Languages: Spanish (Native), English (C2), Portuguese (DAPLE - C1), German (B2).

Leadership experience

2024 - to date

Head of Communications and Institutional Relations

- INDAP (Institute of Agrarian Development)

I lead communications and strategic relations, and design community - driven projects that turn local culture and identity into sustainable living — advancing climate resilience, curbing rural migration, and protecting cultural diversity in connection to academia.

2019 - 2023

Head of Outreach, Science Dissemination, and Artistic Creation

- Research Directorate at University of Aysén

As part of the founding team, I built the Research Directorate from scratch, connecting a new public university to the wider ecosystem of institutions. I developed and managed initiatives to strengthen research capacity, fostering scientific productivity and R&D+i aligned with institutional goals and regional needs, while promoting collaborations at both national and international levels.

2019 - 2018

Chief of Staff and Institutional Relations
- Ministry of Cultures, Arts and Heritage

I led multidisciplinary teams spanning heritage, Indigenous affairs, publications, libraries, and community culture. I oversaw regional budgets and operational frameworks to implement Chile’s National Cultural Policy in one of the country’s most remote territories. This role demanded balancing national directives with local cultural identities, fostering collaboration across sectors, and ensuring that public cultural programmes were both inclusive and territorially grounded.

Education

2021 - 2022

Universidad de Alcalá - Spain

International Master in University Management

2014 - 2017

Freie Universität Berlin - Germany

MA in English Studies: Literature, Language, Culture

2015

Universität der Künste - Germany

Curatorial Practice within Cultural Policy and Institutional Frameworks

2022

Universidad de Chile - Chile

Diploma in University Management with a Gender Perspective

2023

Universidad de Chile - Chile

Certificate: Women in Research - Strategies with a Gender Perspective for Academic Development

2006-2010

Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile - Chile

BA in Linguistics and Literarure, English Major
Minor in Arts

Interests

I am an active member of the Association of Women Researchers (Asociación Red de Investigadoras) in Chile; a feminist network advancing academic and scientific careers with a focus on gender equity.

I am fascinated by photographic theory, intermediality, the gothic novel, and cultural aesthetics, as well as practices that link art and memory — from scrapbooking and analog photography to archives and record preservation. Additionally, I am deeply interested in the preservation of ethnolinguistic heritage, especially the revitalization of indigenous languages in Patagonia. These interests have equally guided my academic research where I examine how images, texts, museums and archives construct memory and cultural meaning. Some of this work can be found here.

I feel my best snowboarding in the mountains, cycling through the city at night, and baking my own bread. Ultimately, I still take film photographs, journal in handwritten form, and move through the world balancing the shifting weights of beautiful things.