From the dynamics of institutional change under authoritarianism to the lived realities of mental and childhood health, as well as the histories of knowledge exchange and revolutionary struggle, this cohort reflects both the diversity of the region and the depth of scholarship shaping its future. Throughout the year, these scholars will contribute to classroom discussions, collaborative research, and public programming, helping to foster meaningful cross-border dialogue.

When Andrés Barrios Fernández arrived in Cambridge as the Fall 2025 Luksic Visiting Scholar at the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, he was seeking more than uninterrupted research time. He was looking for intellectual friction, the kind that emerges when scholars rethink familiar questions in unfamiliar settings.

“Changing the environment where you work and connecting with new people really forces you to think differently about your research,” Andrés explained. “It gives you new ideas and new perspectives.”

Rebecca Hanson, DRCLAS’ 2024-25 Peggy Rockefeller Visiting Scholar, presented groundbreaking research on the complexities of crime, security, and policing in Venezuela at a recent Tuesday Seminar. Hanson, who specializes in security studies with a focus on Latin America, discussed the unexpected consequences of policies aimed at reducing poverty and violence—highlighting how, in some cases, these initiatives can inadvertently worsen the problems they intend to solve.

The journey of Juan Carlos Álvarez Yépiz—from a flood-stricken town in Sonora to Harvard as the 2024–2025 Fundación México en Harvard–Antonio Madero Visiting Scholar—is a story of resilience, research, and climate action.

Former DRCLAS Visiting Scholar Patricia Ames has received the 2025 José María Arguedas Award from LASA's Peru Section for the best article of the year. Developed during her time at Harvard and co-authored with Camilla Morelli, Almendra Aguilar, and Roldan Tumi, the award-winning article examines the educational trajectories of young Indigenous women in the Peruvian Amazon.

Dora María Téllez, Nicaraguan dissident and Fall 2024 Cisneros Visiting Fellow at DRCLAS, was awarded an honorary doctorate by La Sorbonne Nouvelle on June 2, 2025, recognizing her lifelong fight for democracy and human rights—even as that fight once led her to a prison cell.