Our Team
Marine Lercier
Founder & Executive Director
Director of Legal Research & Advocacy
Marine is the Founder and Executive Director of the International Centre for Animal Rights and Ethics (ICARE) and the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Animal Rights Law. She is also a Board Member of the Culture and Animals Foundation (CAF).
She advocates for the interconnected causes of human and animal rights and is committed to driving systemic, structural, and lasting change for all sentient beings. As a PhD candidate in Global Animal Law and a Researcher at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, she combines academic research in animal rights law with practical applications to advance legal frameworks that protect the welfare and rights of animals.
After becoming vegan over 10 years ago, Marine changed careers to focus on animal rights law and advocacy, graduating with high honours from a Master’s in Animal Law and Society at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). After completing several internships at animal advocacy NGOs, she returned to the UAB to pursue her doctoral research, where she has taught courses in Animal Law and Roman Law, and is regularly invited to lecture on Animal Law. In addition, she completed the Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law Lecturers Workshop. She has also organised and judged speed moot courts on human rights and animal rights, and has coordinated numerous international and national academic conferences, symposia, roundtables, and book talks, both in person and online.
Her doctoral research pioneers the concept of ‘Animal Labour Law’©, exploring avenues to grant labour rights to non-human animal workers. Using racehorses as a case study, she aims to address gaps in their protection and safeguard racehorses’ fundamental interests, including through a legal right to retirement beyond their racing careers. Marine has published research articles, book chapters, book reviews, op-eds, blog posts, and working papers and contributed to research reports in various languages.
Marine is recognised for her collaborative spirit, intellectual rigour, hard work, and reliability. She often provides guidance and collaborates with fellow educators, researchers, legal professionals, advocates, and NGOs, demonstrating a commitment to helping others succeed in the movement for the benefit of animals. For the past decade, she has also volunteered her time and skills with several animal advocacy organisations and academic projects.
She has been a Junior Fellow (2020-2022) and a Fellow (2022-2023) of the Animals & Biodiversity programme, which she launched at the Global Research Network Think Tank. There, she contributed her expertise to a community of like-minded individuals, mentored Junior Fellows, and designed and managed various successful projects.
She also ran for the Animalist Party in France's parliamentary elections (2022) and played a key role in revising their national and European political programmes, highlighting her dedication to legal, institutional, and policy reforms for animal rights.
Silvina Pezzetta
Legal Expert & Social Media Content Creator
Dra Silvina Pezzetta is an Argentine CONICET researcher in Animal Law and Ethics. She has been working on animal rights legal theory and animal ethics for the last 10 years, while also participating as an amicus curiae in relevant national and international court cases.
She has taught animal ethics at the Law School of Buenos Aires University (Argentina). She won a Culture & Animals Foundation grant in 2020 and a Tiny Beam Fund Fellowship in 2021. She was a visiting scholar at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Law and International Public Law (Heidelberg, Germany) in 2019 and 2023. She was a Visiting Fellow at Harvard Law School’s Animal Law & Policy Program during the academic year 2023-2024.
Beatrice Roño
Generalist
With over six years of experience in animal advocacy at a local animal shelter and non-profit organisation, Beatrice has worked across multiple roles, including adoption services, clinic support, administrative operations, and the legal department handling animal cruelty cases. This combination of hands-on care and administrative support provided a strong foundation in practical advocacy and organisational operations.
She later expanded her focus to farmed animal welfare through her participation in the Welfare Matters fellowship (SEAFAWF) and in various conferences addressing both farmed animal issues and broader animal advocacy topics. Now with ICARE, she supports initiatives that advance the legal recognition and protection of animal rights globally.
Gweimen Fen
Digital Engagement Analyst
Gweimen Fen is a freelance researcher, academic tutor, and digital content creator with a strong interdisciplinary focus spanning artificial intelligence, STEM education, public health, ecology, and societal justice. With a background in biology and a passion for curriculum development and inclusive education, Gweimen brings a unique perspective to his work—one that bridges the gap between science, technology, and advocacy.
He hails from the Nok ancestry—one of Nigeria's oldest civilisations —and is currently based in Abuja. His work is deeply influenced by a sense of collective responsibility and a reverence for both human and non-human life.
Gweimen believes that fairness, justice, and sustainability must extend to animals, plants, and the environment to ensure true progress. At ICARE, he brings his experience in digital communication and community engagement to support the movement for animal rights and ethical living.
Shreya Upadhyaya
Online Events Coordinator
Shreya is a dedicated animal welfare advocate whose vegan journey has fuelled her commitment to creating a world where animals are respected, not consumed.
Drawing on her background in marketing and events management, she channels her professional skills to strengthen the movement.
She believes effective outreach and community-building are powerful catalysts for transforming compassion into lasting impact.
Geneva Blackmer
Content Writer
Geneva Blackmer is a doctoral researcher in the Faculty of Divinity at the University of Cambridge. She holds postgraduate degrees from Amridge University (PhD), the University of Bonn (MESt), and Athens State University (MA).
She has held research assistantships and visiting appointments across a range of academic and research institutions and has published on digital theology/religion, (inter)religious education, church history, and ecumenism, with a forthcoming publication on themes of ecofeminist theology.
Alongside her academic work, her professional background includes extensive experience in grassroots interfaith contexts, including work with organisations engaged in creation care and ecological justice. She has a longstanding interest in ecotheology, animal ethics, and religious understandings of responsibility and stewardship.
Katarína Kubovicová
Legal Researcher, Animals in Disasters
Katarína is an EU legal and policy expert with a decade of experience in international and European law. Passionate about sustainability, environmental protection, and animal welfare, she actively engages in advocacy and research initiatives.
She has volunteered with animal shelters and organic farms and continues to expand her expertise in animal rights law and advocacy.
Katarína took part in the first edition of the CIARL live course offered by ICARE, and beyond her contributions to ICARE’s legal research and advocacy, she has now secured a role at an animal advocacy organisation.
Valéria Jacobovicz
Legal Researcher, Animals in Disasters
Valéria is a Brazilian attorney currently pursuing an LL.M. in Environmental and Energy Law at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Passionate about animal protection, she has been actively involved in rescuing animals from mistreatment in her home country and has volunteered with wildlife in Namibia.
In addition to her practical experience, Valéria has also contributed to the academic field by writing articles on Animal Law. During her LL.M., she has been deepening her studies to strengthen environmental and animal protection through legal mechanisms, combining her legal expertise with a commitment to sustainability to drive positive impact.
Faith Gakii
Researcher, Political Representation of Animals
Faith is a researcher in animal rights. She has conducted research on the intersection of Rights of Nature and animal rights, exploring how these frameworks can work together in practice to effectively address large-scale systemic harms such as industrial animal agriculture.
She is a 2025 Cambridge Centre for Animal Rights Law Research awardee for her work on how Rights of Nature could provide an alternative conceptual pathway to advancing legal recognition of animal rights in African countries, building on the constitutional anthropocentric human right to a healthy environment and the concept of transformative constitutionalism.
Outside of her research, Faith volunteers with the Kenya Society for the Protection and Care of Animals (KSPCA), supporting rescue, rehabilitation, and rehoming efforts.
Madelon van Hoek Ostende
Researcher, Political Representation of Animals
Madelon is an MA graduate in Human Rights and Democratisation at the Global Campus of Human Rights. During her studies, she gained experience in the fields of Environmental Law, the Rights of Nature, and Animal Law.
She is also deeply committed to animal welfare and animal protection, and is especially interested in the topic of legal representation of animals.
Kristina Drogu
Researcher, Political Representation of Animals
Kristina is a Research Master’s student in European Studies at Maastricht University, pursuing a double degree in Political Science at Cologne University. Her work focuses on EU fisheries governance and environmental decision-making, with a particular interest in how legal norms and geopolitical interests shape policy outcomes.
A lifelong animal lover, she has always been passionate about animal welfare. This has led her to volunteer with various organisations, including the horse rescue Progetto Islander in Italy, thereby broadening her perspective beyond academia.
Prithviraj Pahwa
Researcher, Political Representation of Animals
Prithvi is a dedicated data scientist with a strong passion for animal rights and ethical practices. With a solid academic foundation and a commitment to social impact, he is eager to apply his expertise in research and technology to support the recognition and protection of animals’ fundamental rights.
Thalia Puente
Fernandez
Researcher, Political Representation of Animals
Thalia Puente Fernandez is a law student with a passion for social impact and community building.
She has experience creating digital content, running campaigns, and supporting organisations that align with her values.
Jon Friedman
Legal Researcher, Wildlife Trafficking & Wildlife Crime
With 38 years of wildlife conservation experience across Africa, Jon has dedicated his life to a single, unwavering cause: the welfare and ethical treatment of animals.
Currently in Cape Town, South Africa, Jon is leading frontline efforts to protect the welfare of Cape Town’s embattled chacma baboons — one of the continent’s most politically and ethically charged human-wildlife conflicts.
François Mullan
Legal Researcher, Wildlife Trafficking & Wildlife Crime
After researching illegal wildlife trade during a BSc in Environmental Management from Technological University Dublin and an internship with Ecojust, Francois pursued an MSc in Environmental & Climate Law at University College Dublin to understand the role and importance that legislation plays in combating environmental crime.
His current dissertation focuses on developing a theory of change to address bird of prey persecution in Ireland, and he recently joined ICARE’s wildlife crime team as a legal researcher.
Yareli Alfaro
Legal Researcher, Wildlife Trafficking & Wildlife Crime
Yareli Alfaro is a dedicated professional from New York who recently graduated with a Master of Arts in International Criminal Justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
With a strong background in client support and research, she has effectively managed public assistance programs and contributed to various legal and academic projects. Yareli is fluent in Spanish and is committed to advocating for community welfare and ethical practices.