#  Visiting Scholars & Fellows 

 



#  Visiting Scholars & Fellows 

 

 

       ![Dora Maria Tellez presenting](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_28_10__1920x685/public/2026-05/DSC01221%202.JPG?itok=IfdH_fjD) 

 

 



 

 



 

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

 ](https://www.drclas.harvard.edu/visiting-scholars)Applications Now Open

These positions are aimed at academics with a current affiliation in a university or research center.



 

  [### Visiting Fellows

 ](https://www.drclas.harvard.edu/visiting-fellows)Applications Now Open

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

 ](https://www.drclas.harvard.edu/ivorra-visiting-scholars)Applications Now Open

This position is aimed at early-career academics whose work focuses on democracy, governance, and/or the defense of human rights in the region.



 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

    ![Nicole Jenne](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_3_4__480x640/public/2026-03/Nicole%20Jenne_bio%20pic%20%282%29.jpeg?itok=5-CGcBN2) 

 

 

 

   

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.

 

Nicole Jenne

2026-2027 DRCLAS Cisneros Visiting Scholar 

 

 



 

 

 

 

##  2025-2026 DRCLAS Scholars 

The 2025–2026 Visiting Scholars and Fellows cohort brings together leading voices in sociology, social theory, economics, anthropology, and political science, addressing issues from violence and urban life in Mexico to Indigenous autonomy, development theory, and gender justice in carceral systems.

 

 



  [### Andrés Barrios Fernández 

 ](/people/andres-barrios-fernandez)Fall 2025 Luksic Visiting Scholar

 

 

 Andrés is an Assistant Professor and the Director of the Human Development Lab at the Universidad de los Andes, Chile. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the London School of Economics and completed a Postdoc at the Department of Economics of MIT in 2022... 

 

 

      ![Andres Barrios](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-09/Andres.jpeg?itok=ALDV3vCL) 

 

 

 

   [### Christopher Carter 

 ](/people/christopher-carter)Spring 2026 Central America Visiting Scholar

 

 

 Christopher Carter is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Politics and John L. Nau III Assistant Professor of the History and Principles of Democracy at the University of Virginia. He is also a Research Associate at the Center on the Politics of... 

 

 

      ![Chris Carter](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-09/Chris%20Carter_Bio%20pic.png?itok=OCBOpGjq) 

 

 

 

   [### Susan Eckstein

 ](/people/susan-eckstein)Fall 2025-Spring 2026 Associate Scholar

 

 

 Susan Eckstein in Professor Emerita of the Pardee School of Global Studies and the Sociology Department at Boston University. She has written numerous books and articles on Mexican urban poor, political-economic developments in Cuba, Cuban immigrants... 

 

 

      ![Susan Eckstein](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-09/Susan%20E.jpeg?itok=udtoW1WF) 

 

 

 

   [### Susan Ellison 

 ](/people/susan-ellison)Fall 2025-Spring 2026 Associate Scholar

 

 

 Susan Helen Ellison (Ph.D. Brown University) is associate professor of anthropology at Wellesley College. At Wellesley, she is a faculty affiliate of Latin American Studies, Peace and Justice Studies, and Environmental Studies, and she serves on the board... 

 

 

      ![Susan Ellison](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-09/Susan%20Ellison.jpeg?itok=_OfEUkmZ) 

 

 

 

   [### Ana Grondona 

 ](/people/ana-grondona)Fall 2025 De Fortabat Visiting Scholar

 

 

 Ana Grondona holds a degree in sociology and a Ph.D. in social sciences from the University of Buenos Aires, where she is currently a professor. She is also a researcher at the National Council for Scientific and Technological Research (CONICET). Her work... 

 

 

      ![Ana Grondona](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-09/Ana%20Grondona.jpeg?itok=6Dat5Bse) 

 

 

 

   [### Nicole Jenne 

 ](/people/nicole-jenne)Spring 2026 Cisneros Visiting Scholar

 

 

 Nicole Jenne is associate professor at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Institute of Political Science. She holds a PhD in International Relations from the European University Institute, Florence. Nicole’s research is on different aspects of... 

 

 

      ![Nicole Jenne](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-09/Nicole%20Jenne_bio%20pic.jpeg?itok=O39Ml66-) 

 

 

 

   [### Alejandra Laera

 ](/people/alejandra-laera)Fall 2025 RFK Visiting Professor, hosted by the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures 

 

 

 Alejandra Laera is Full Professor of Argentine Literature at the Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Universidad de Buenos Aires, where she also serves as the appointed Director of the Instituto de Literatura Argentina “Ricardo Rojas”. She is a Principal... 

 

 

      ![Alejandra Laera](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-09/Alejandra.jpeg?itok=ygjrzBaa) 

 

 

 

   [### Bitia Salas García

 ](/people/bitia-salas-garcia)Fall 2025 Santo Domingo Visiting Scholar

 

 

 Vania Bitia Salas Garcia is a Professor at the Economics Department at Universidad de Piura, located at Peru’s northern border. Professor Salas holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, a MS and PhD degrees... 

 

 

      ![Bitia Salas Garcia](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-09/Bitia%20Salas.jpeg?itok=s39jS52P) 

 

 

 

   [### Vanessa Sander 

 ](/people/vanessa-sander)Spring 2026 Lemann Visiting Scholar

 

 

 Vanessa Sander is a postdoctoral researcher at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). Her broader work addresses issues related to the intersections between gender, sex work, and the prison system. She conducted ethnographic research in... 

 

 

      ![Vanessa Sander](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-09/Vanessa%20Sander%20bio%20pic.JPG?itok=sQgI3b0n) 

 

 

 

   [### Ana Villarreal

 ](/people/ana-villarreal)2025-2026 Fundación México en Harvard-Antonio Madero Visiting Scholar

 

 

 Ana Villarreal is Associate Professor of Sociology at Boston University. Her research draws on ethnography and social theory to advance sociological understandings of violence, emotions, urban dynamics and their aggravating impact on socio-spatial divides... 

 

 

      ![Ana Villareal](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-09/Anna%20Villareal.jpeg?itok=63yrBOGf) 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

##  Past Recipients 

 



  [### Past Recipients

 ](/scholarships-and-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

 ](https://www.drclas.harvard.edu/news/2026/05/meet-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.



 

   ![DRCLAS VISITING SCHOLARS & FELLOWS 2026-202DRCLAS VISITING SCHOLARS & FELLOWS 2026-2027](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2026-06/DRCLAS%20VISITING%20SCHOLARS%20%26%20FELLOWS%202026-2027.png?itok=ED7-ZS0d) 

 

 

 

  [### Spotlight: Andrés Barrios Fernández on Education, Inequality, and the Power of Academic Exchange

 ](https://www.drclas.harvard.edu/news/2026/01/spotlight-andres-barrios-fernandez-education-inequality-and-power-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.”



 

   ![Andres Barrios](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2026-01/Andres.jpg?itok=CYIiuDsD) 

 

 

 

  [### Rebecca Hanson Shares Key Insights on Security and Policing in Venezuela During Chavismo

 ](https://www.drclas.harvard.edu/news/2024/11/rebecca-hanson-shares-key-insights-security-and-policing-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.



 

   ![Rebecca Hanson Book](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2024-11/Screenshot%202024-11-22%20at%2011.45.45%E2%80%AFAM.png?h=fac4de8e&itok=3agEqExY) 

 

 

 

  [### From Disaster to Resilience

 ](https://www.drclas.harvard.edu/news/2025/05/disaster-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.



 

   ![Juan Carlos photo](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-05/DSC06825%20%281%29.jpg?itok=c-mWgwOy) 

 

 

 

  [### Patricia Ames Receives the 2025 José María Arguedas Award

 ](https://sections.lasaweb.org/sections/peru/?pg=7)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.



 

   ![headshot of Patricia Ames](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/drclas2/files/patricia_ames_pucp_0.png?itok=p2fmAcEU) 

 

 

 

  [### Authoritarianism Fears Her 

 ](https://www.drclas.harvard.edu/news/2025/06/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.



 

   ![Dora María Téllez ](/sites/g/files/omnuum12451/files/styles/hwp_16_9__480x270/public/2025-06/PHOTO-2025-06-03-11-39-05.jpg?itok=mX-eDYpE) 

 

 

 

  

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