Inés is ICREA Research professor in the Section of Prehistory and Archaeology (Universitat de Barcelona) since 2010, and Vice-president of the World Archaeological Congress (2017-2020). Through her current and previous positions at the Universities of Valencia (Spain) and Flinders (Australia) she explores the ‘Archaeologies’ of rock art from a multidisciplinary perspective. Her performance in archaeology has earned her a number of academic awards and distinctions: Honorary Associate Researcher at the Dep. of Archaeology, Flinders University (Australia) since 2009; Blaze O’Connor memorial award (WAC, Jordan, 2013); Honorary appointment as guest professor at HeTao University (Inner Mongolia, China) (2010); Honorary Research Fellow of Inner Mongolia Rock Art Protection and Research Association, and Inner Mongolia Rock Art Research Academy (2010) and a PhD University Award (Premio extraordinario de doctorado) (2006).

Research interests

My current research explores both the scientific and heritage values of rock art. In Spain, I aim to advance our understanding of Postpalaeolithic rock art of Mediterranean Iberia (World Heritage since 1998), combining state of the art technologies, theories and methods and seeking interdisciplinary collaborations for physic and chemical analysis of pigments and rock surfaces, and digital rock art recording. Through the systematic analysis and decomposition of rock art panels and their contexts I intend to discover hidden clues providing insights into the past to answer questions of what, why, where, how, when and who produced this millenary legacy. In Australia I explore the social and territorial aspects of rock art from an ethno-archaeological perspective, working with Aboriginal people and Australian researchers in Arnhem Land. Combining both perspectives (archaeology and ethnography) I aim to develop a more critical theoretical framework to explore past and present rock art.