CV

A web summary of Vierelina’s curriculum vitae. The Publications and Teaching pages have the full lists.

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 (2020). 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 (2015). Minors in French and Economics.

University Appointments

  • Postdoctoral Associate (2024–2026), Center for Latin American Studies, Rutgers University
  • Instructor (2021–2024), School of Politics & International Relations, Florida International University

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.

Policy and Advising

Strategic Advisor in Latin American Gender and Security, Pan-American Strategic Advisors (May 2025 – present).

Grants and External Funding

  • McKnight Foundation Dissertation Completion Grant (2024)
  • Dissertation Year Fellowship, Florida International University (2022)
  • Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship, Honorable Mention (2022)
  • McKnight Dissertation Fellowship, Florida Education Fund (2021)
  • Tinker Foundation Latin American Field Research Grant (2019)
  • National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (2018)
  • McNair Scholars Doctoral Fellowship, Florida International University (2016)
  • McNair Scholars Independent Research Abroad Grant (Colombia), DePaul University (2015)
  • DePaul University College of LA&S Summer Undergraduate Research Grant (Mexico) (2014)

Select Presentations

  • “Beyond Destruction: War as Generative in Turkey and Colombia’s Feminist Political Parties.” Postdoc Research Talk, Rutgers University, April 2025.
  • “Authoritarian Feminism? Examining Command Structure and Hierarchy in the Gender-Progressive FARC and PKK.” International Studies Association–Northeast, November 2025.
  • “From Soldiers to Feminists: Examining the Wartime Variables Transforming the Colombian and Kurdish Guerrillas.” Mid-Atlantic Council of Latin American Studies, University of Delaware, March 2025.
  • “War Creates States, but Does It Also Breed Feminism?” International Studies Association–Latin America and the Caribbean, Bogotá, Colombia, September 2023.
  • “Insurgent Feminism: A Comparative Analysis of Colombian and Kurdish Female Guerrillas’ Contributions to Democracy.” International Studies Association, Toronto, March 2019.

Service and Programming (Select)

  • Lead, Colombia Working Group, Center for Latin American Studies, Rutgers University (September 2025 – present)
  • Co-Lead, Mexico–Central America Working Group, Center for Latin American Studies, Rutgers University (September 2025 – present)
  • Discussant and chair, “Narratives of Vulnerability,” International Studies Association–Northeast (November 2025)
  • Reviewer, Politics and Gender (July 2025)
  • Moderator and discussant, “International Law and (In)Justice: Venezuela, Extrajudicial Force, and Caribbean Impacts,” Rutgers University (April 2026)

Professional Memberships

  • American Political Science Association (Women and Politics; Conflict Processes)
  • International Studies Association (Feminist Theory and Gender Studies; International Security Studies; Global South Caucus)
  • Middle Atlantic Council of Latin American Studies
  • Southeastern Council of Latin American Studies