Elena Mendoza graduated in Economics at the University of Colima in 2008. She earned her master’s degree in Public Policy at the Willy Brandt School of Public Policy at the University of Erfurt.  From 2011 to 2016 she held a position as associate adviser on sustainable development strategy at the International Trade Centre (ITC), the joint agency of the World Trade Organization and the United Nations. In 2016, she commenced her PhD research at the chair of innovation Economics at the University of Hohenheim. She is engaged in research on sustainability transitions and dedicated innovation systems in developing contexts.