Curriculum Vitae
Vierelina Fernández, Ph.D.
International Relations scholar · Postdoctoral Associate (2024–2026), Center for Latin American Studies, Rutgers University–New Brunswick
Career at a Glance
- 2015B.A., DePaul University
- 2018NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
- 2020M.A., Florida International University
- 2021–22Dissertation fieldwork in four countries
- 2024Ph.D., International Relations, FIU
- 2024–26Postdoctoral Associate, Rutgers CLAS
- 2025First ICPSR dataset; book manuscript workshopped at Rutgers
- 2026Second ICPSR dataset; two articles submitted
Education
Ph.D., International Relations
Florida International University · August 2024
Dissertation: “Insurgent Feminism: A Comparative Empirical Analysis of the Colombian FARC and Kurdish PKK-YPG Guerrillas’ Contributions to Gender Equality”
M.A., Latin American and Caribbean Studies
Florida International University
Directed Research Thesis: “Revolutionary Religion: Rethinking the Impact of Religious Ideology on Women’s Participation in Armed Insurrection”
Double B.A., International Studies and Latin American & Latino Studies
DePaul University
Minors in French and Economics
Appointments and Advising
Postdoctoral Associate
Rutgers University · Center for Latin American Studies (CLAS)
Instructor
Florida International University · School of Politics & International Relations
Strategic Advisor in Latin American Gender and Security
Pan-American Strategic Advisors (PASA)
Research Interests
- Comparative Politics (Latin America–Middle East)
- Feminist Security Studies
- Insurgency
- Rebel-to-Party Transitions
- Global South Security Theory
- Women in Armed Conflict
- Post-Conflict Democratization
- Mixed Methods
Publications and Manuscripts
Insurgent Feminism in Global Revolution: Lessons from Colombian and Kurdish Guerrilla Fighters
Complete first draft, workshopped by four senior faculty members at Rutgers University in October 2025. Revisions are underway.
Published
- Berardi, L., Balcázar, F., Lacolla, F., Fernández, V., Gonzalez, D., Camacho, R. (2014). International community research project and action: Examining white privilege and discrimination in Argentina. The Community Psychologist, 47(1), 16–18.
- Fernández, V. (2013). Indigenous influences in Mexican children’s literature. Diálogo, 16(2), 95–97.
Under review (submitted October 2026)
- Fernández, V. (2026). Beyond Destruction: War as Generative in Turkey and Colombia’s Feminist Political Parties. Small Wars and Insurgencies. Preprint on SSRN (opens in a new tab)
- Fernández, V. (2026). Examining the Importance of Cultural Competence and Interdisciplinarity in Trauma Research: A Case Study of the Kurdish and Yazidi Genocides. Journal of Feminist Scholarship. Preprint on SSRN (opens in a new tab)
Working papers (available on SSRN)
- Insurgent Feminism: A Comparative Analysis of Colombian and Kurdish Women Guerrillas’ Contributions to Democracy. Read on SSRN (opens in a new tab)
- Changing the Focus: Re-Imagining Human Trafficking as a Product of Gender Inequality. Read on SSRN (opens in a new tab)
Public essays
- Fernández, V. (2026, February). What country music can learn from the Bad Bunny effect. The Tennessean (syndicated by Yahoo News: Entertainment). Read the essay (opens in a new tab)
- Forthcoming: Fernández, V. (2026, November). Turkey’s Peace Process with the PKK Must Learn from Colombia’s Mistakes. Diplomatic Courier.
Original Datasets and Dashboard
Two original mixed-methods datasets from dissertation research (May 2020 – June 2022), archived with ICPSR.
Gender Attitudes Among FARC Ex-Combatants
Survey and interview data collected with 153 former FARC combatants.
Gender Equality in Insurgent vs. Civilian Political Party Communications in Turkey and Colombia
Content analysis of 193 official documents of Turkish, Kurdish and Colombian political party material.
Grants and External Funding
McKnight Foundation Dissertation Completion Grant
Dissertation Year Fellowship, Florida International University
Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship, Honorable Mention
McKnight Dissertation Fellowship, Florida Education Fund (FEF)
Tinker Foundation Latin American Field Research Grant
National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship
McNair Scholars Doctoral Fellowship, Florida International University
McNair Scholars Independent Research Abroad Grant (Colombia), DePaul University
DePaul University College of LA&S Summer Undergraduate Research Grant (Mexico)
Teaching
Discussion-based courses built around real-world case studies and primary data. All courses designed and taught independently as instructor of record.
- Introduction to Latin America (LAS 101)
Fall 2024 – present · multiple sections - Advanced Topics: Political Violence and Conflict in Latin America
Spring 2026
- Comparative Politics: Theory and Practice (CPO 3010)
Spring 2024 - Contemporary International Problems (INR 3081)
Summer 2021
Conference Presentations
Beyond Destruction: War as Generative in Turkey and Colombia’s Feminist Political Parties
Postdoc Research Talk, Rutgers University
Denied Motherhood? A Militarized Feminist Approach to the Realities of Armed Insurgency
International Studies Association–Northeast (ISA-NE)
Authoritarian Feminism? Examining Command Structure and Hierarchy in the Gender-Progressive FARC and PKK
International Studies Association–Northeast (ISA-NE)
From Soldiers to Feminists: Examining the Wartime Variables Transforming the Colombian and Kurdish Guerrillas
Mid-Atlantic Council of Latin American Studies (MACLAS), University of Delaware
Programming and Service
Panel: “The Colombian Peace Deal: 10 Years of Post-conflict Lessons”
Rutgers Center for Latin American Studies · forthcoming
Panel moderator and discussant: “International Law and (In)Justice: Venezuela, Extrajudicial Force, and Caribbean Impacts”
Rutgers Center for Latin American Studies
Moderator: “Decolonizing the Middle East: Kurdish Experiences”
Kurdish Studies Association at Rutgers University
Discussant and chair: “Narratives of Vulnerability”
International Studies Association–Northeast (ISA-NE)
Lead, Colombia Working Group
Rutgers Center for Latin American Studies · organizing and hosting events
Co-Lead, Mexico–Central America Working Group
Rutgers Center for Latin American Studies · organizing and hosting events
Expert reviewer, Politics and Gender
Submission on the 2016 Colombian Peace Deal and its gendered dimensions
Discussant: “Sexual Violence and Conflict”
Politics and Gender Conference, Rutgers University–New Brunswick
Created and organized an in-person event with guest speaker and social activist Dr. Karol Solís Menco
Rutgers Center for Latin American Studies
FIU in D.C. Fly-In Series
One of ten individuals selected and funded to travel to Washington, D.C. for three days for the first inaugural fly-in on Latin America and the Caribbean
International Fieldwork and Empirical Research
Graduate
Dissertation fieldwork
Six months in Turkey, France and Germany
Dissertation fieldwork
Six months in Colombia
Exploratory pre-dissertation field research
Three weeks in Diyarbakir, Batman and Mardin, Turkey
Tinker Grant pre-dissertation field research
Three weeks in Barranquilla, Valledupar and Manaure, Colombia
Research assistant, Department of Homeland Security study on human trafficking in South Florida
Kimberly Green Latin American and Caribbean Center, Florida International University · six months
Intensive summer course “Construcción de Cultura de Paz” (Constructing a Culture of Peace)
Universidad Piloto de Colombia · two weeks in Bogotá, Colombia
Undergraduate
McNair Scholars Program Summer Research Experience
DePaul University · two weeks in Bogotá, Colombia
Independent research abroad project
Four months in Guadalajara, Mexico
Leadership Alliance Summer Research Early Identification Program (SR-EIP)
Tufts University, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy · nine weeks
McNair Scholars Program Summer Research Experience
DePaul University · two weeks in Buenos Aires and Patagonia, Argentina
Mentorship
McNair Scholars Program Summer Research Mentor
A competitive program that prepares exceptional young scholars from low-income, first-generation and minority backgrounds for doctoral study
SMART Lab Mentor
University of South Florida · preparing undergraduates from underrepresented minority groups for doctoral programs
Memberships and Languages
- American Political Science Association (APSA)
Women and Politics · Conflict Processes - International Studies Association (ISA)
Feminist Theory and Gender Studies · International Security Studies · Global South Caucus - Middle Atlantic Council of Latin American Studies (MACLAS)
- Southeastern Council of Latin American Studies (SECOLAS)
- Spanish native
- English native
- French conversational
- Portuguese read-only