Visiting Scholars & Fellows
Visiting Scholars & Fellows
Our fellowships strengthen ties between Harvard and global institutions by hosting cohorts of distinguished academics and practitioners from varied disciplinary fields who conduct research on Latin America and the Caribbean. Through our three current fellowship positions, DRCLAS forges communities of inquiry and impact that span disciplinary fields and countries, providing a unique space for enduring collaboration.
Apply to Become a Visiting Scholar or Fellow
Each year, DRCLAS welcomes a select group of distinguished academics (Visiting Scholars and Ivorra Scholars) and practitioners (Visiting Fellows) to spend one or two semesters at Harvard pursuing independent research and engaging with Harvard's dynamic intellectual community. Scholars and Fellows are selected through a competitive process based on their qualifications, the quality of their proposed research, and the relevance of their work to the Center's mission and priorities.
Visiting Scholars
These positions are aimed at academics with a current affiliation in a university or research center.
Visiting Fellows
These positions are aimed at established practitioners with advanced careers in their fields and a strong scholarly bent, who wish to work on a research-oriented project while at Harvard.
Ivorra Visiting Scholars
This position is aimed at early-career academics whose work focuses on democracy, governance, and/or the defense of human rights in the region.
The fellowship at DRCLAS provided an exceptional setting for scholarly work: optimal research conditions combined with an intellectually vibrant environment that sets a high bar and motivates one to meet it. It has meaningfully shaped my development as a researcher.
2026-2027 DRCLAS Scholars
For the 2026–2027 academic year, DRCLAS welcomes Visiting Scholars and Professors from across Latin America and the Caribbean, including the inaugural Ivorra Visiting Scholar, as well as Harvard–UAI Visiting Researchers participating in short-term research stays through the Harvard–UAI Collaborative Research Grant.
Gabriela Buccini
Ignacio Chuecas Saldías
Paola Cortes-Rocca
Laura Fahrenkrog
Sebastian Gallegos
Forrest Hylton
Américo Mendoza-Mori
Lauro Miranda Demenech
Mirzam Pérez
Emilia Simison
Past Recipients
Past Recipients
The Visiting Scholars and Fellows program has a long tradition of bringing together multidisciplinary and multi-country experts, forming lasting communities of research and practice across the region.
Visiting Scholars & Fellows News
Meet the 2026–2027 DRCLAS Visiting Scholars and Fellows
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.
Spotlight: Andrés Barrios Fernández on Education, Inequality, and the Power of Academic Exchange
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 Shares Key Insights on Security and Policing in Venezuela During Chavismo
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.
From Disaster to Resilience
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.
Patricia Ames Receives the 2025 José María Arguedas Award
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.
Authoritarianism Fears Her
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.
