Alba Bala is the Executive Director of the UNESCO Chair in Life Cycle and Climate Change at ESCI-UPF and the Director of the Master of Science in Sustainability Management, jointly offered by UPF-BSM and ESCI-UPF. Previously, she was a lecturer and researcher in EcoDesign and Environmental Analysis of Products at the ELISAVA School of Design, the School of Industrial Design (ESDI), and the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA) at UAB. She has also worked as an environmental consultant. Her research areas include life cycle analysis (LCA), EcoDesign, environmentally correct purchasing, and the development of methodologies for comprehensive sustainability analysis and assessment. She is a member of the Spanish Network of Life Cycle Analysis. She was a finalist for the 2008 European Innova Award, given by the European Commission, DG Enterprise and Industry. She won the Design for Recycling Award in the project category, granted by the Generalitat de Catalunya in 2000.