Raquel brings extensive experience in Integrated Landscape Planning and Design, with a strong focus on preserving, conserving, and regenerating cultural and natural landscapes at local and regional scales. Her work centres on NatureCulture systems, developing planning and project solutions to foster sustainable and resilient futures by engaging local and Traditional communities to co-create knowledge and evidence that supports informed dialogue among stakeholders. Raquel has collaborated with Indigenous Australian communities in Western Australia on projects such as cultural landscape values mapping and Indigenous participatory action research. These initiatives aim to identify and integrate the cultural, environmental, and socio-economic priorities of Indigenous communities to support self-determination and transformative actions. She has recently led a Cooperative Research Centre for Transformations in Mining Economies (CRC TiME) project to enhance Indigenous involvement in Regional Cumulative Effects Assessment and Management (RCEAM) for mine closure. This work adopts a hybrid approach that integrates Indigenous and non-Indigenous knowledge and methodologies to strengthen the sustainability of Country in the face of development.

Raquel is an Associate Professor in the School of Molecular and Life Sciences (MLS) at Curtin University. Additionally, she is an expert member of the ICOMOS-IFLA International Scientific Committee on Cultural Landscapes (ISCCL) – UNESCO, which provides recommendations for World Heritage nominations, and the co-convener of the NatureCulture Working Group. Also, she is a member of the UNESCO Chair on Intermediate Cities (Lleida University – Spain / UCLG – United Cities and Local Governments), the Australia ICOMOS, the International Federation of Landscape Architects, and the Standards Australia Committees and Joint Standards Australia/New Zealand Committees for developing Australian/New Zealand Standards.

She has significant experience in teaching and research. She is the author of diverse publications in her field, including 7 books and 60 articles, comprising journal articles, book chapters, and conference papers. It is important to mention her multicultural professional experience in Australia, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, and Malaysia. This experience enables her to lead and manage complex, multidisciplinary projects, work collaboratively to develop new ideas, and meet specific goals and timeframes with a practical, innovative approach. Those abilities allow her to move skilfully through different realities and needs, integrate people, negotiate, establish cultural and practical connections to solve problems, and creatively propose systemic solutions among distinct academic professionals, industry, and stakeholders to build sustainable and resilient realities.