Author
I am a member of a new generation of academics that rejects the notion that academia is inextricably separated from policy decisions and social mobilization. Instead, I rely on data analysis, research journalism, and close collaboration with academic peers to develop a keen understanding of Mexico's most pressing social problems and to design and promote novel solutions for them.
I teach U.S.-Mexico politics at the Harvard Summer School and write for the European newspaper El País and the Mexican newspaper Milenio.
My latest book, Así no es. Don't believe everything you hear about meritocracy, the middle class, classism, wages, and income [in Spanish], debunks common myths about labor, fiscal and development policies through data analysis and investigative journalism. My previous book, No es normal. The rigged game that fuels Mexican inequality and how to change it [in Spanish] offers practical and innovative solutions to reduce inequality. It received the "Latin American Leadership Award 2022" from The Global School of Social Leaders in Vienna.
I have published a number of peer-reviewed papers in journals such as The Journal of Democracy, Comparative Political Studies, Justice Quarterly, Latin American Research Review, and Latin American Politics and Society, as well as an edited volume titled The Missing Reform, which focuses on the rule of law in Mexico. As an academic, I have served as a visiting assistant professor at Harvard and Purdue University, and as a fellow at The Wilson Center for International Scholars.
As a public policy adviser, I regularly work with prominent public and corporate leaders uncovering surprising policy realities through data-driven analysis. I nurture an extensive network of high-profile relationships with business leaders and political figures. I have also founded and directed applied research institutes like #MéxicoComoVamos, which promotes regional development in Mexico, and #Dateras, a group of women who utilize coding to strengthen strategic thinking.
I was honored to be selected by the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader 2020, and the Harvard Gazette recognized me as one of Harvard’s fifteen outstanding alumni. I am a fellow of the International Women's Forum, and served as a member of Mexico's National Anti-Corruption System in 2018, a position bestowed by the Mexican Senate upon eminent academics and activists. The Economist described me as a “mover and shaker” in Mexico's civil society, and The Library of Congress designated my work on migration as a "Latin America Editor's Pick". In 2014, the American Political Science Association awarded me the prize for the best dissertation in public administration.
I hold a Ph.D in Government from Harvard University.
My other sites: Harvard University
CV: Academic and Professional
Photos: casual photo, formal photo
Author profiles: The Economist, America's Quarterly, El País [in Spanish], Dementes Podcast [in Spanish]