Assoc. Prof. Dr. David Manuel-Navarrete

Exploring academic-practitioner partnerships to co-design leadership models that support holistic technologies at rural-urban interfaces, emphasizing inner-outer transformations. The research integrates spatial science and subjective-structural sustainability dimensions to pilot relational and regenerative solutions. Can leadership models that effectively integrate inner-outer dynamics and holistic technologies transform human-nature relationships towards sustainability?

Transdisciplinary sustainability, Indigenous knowledge systems, inner-outer transformations, nature-based technologies, social-ecological resilience, spatial science, relational stewardship

David Manuel-Navarrete is an Associate Professor at Arizona State University’s School of Sustainability. His transdisciplinary work focuses on the intersection of sustainability, Indigenous knowledge systems, and green technologies. His research on inner-outer sustainability explores how shifts in individual and collective mindsets can drive systemic change, integrating subjective transformations with structural actions to address complex environmental challenges. David Manuel-Navarrete collaborates extensively with Indigenous communities in the Amazon, including Kichwa and Waorani communities, to integrate relational knowledge into innovative solutions for Earth stewardship. He leads use-inspired projects that leverage solar energy and knowledge co-production, such as the development of solar-powered canoes for forest defenders. His approach emphasizes the blending of Western science with spirituality, transcultural rituals, including plant medicine and Indigenous cosmologies to foster inner transformations. His work includes bio-monitoring initiatives like Limelight Solution, which recently won the $10M XPRIZE Rainforest for advancing biodiversity measurement through AI and Indigenous collaboration. David Manuel-Navarrete is dedicated to reshaping how humans relate to ecosystems, advocating for a cultural shift towards viewing nature as a partner rather than a resource.