Catalina Vega MéndezWelcome! I am a Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Notre Dame Eliminating Violence Against Women (E-VAW) lab at the Kellogg Institute for International Studies at the University of Notre Dame. I received my Ph.D. in August 2025 from Purdue University.
My research focuses on comparative political behavior and migration policy, with an emphasis on attitudes and policies toward international migration within Latin America. My dissertation, titled "When the South Moves South: Shifting Attitudes and Behaviors in Response to the Migrant Crisis in Colombia," investigates the political effects of south-to-south migration in Latin America, particularly the Venezuelan migratory crisis in Colombia. My work has been published in journals such as the Revista Latinoamericana de Opinión Pública (RLOP), and I have contributed to policy publications assessing migration and integration strategies. I hold an M.A. in Political Science from Purdue University and a B.A. in Political Science from Universidad Nacional de Colombia. Previously, I interned with the Latin America and the Caribbean team at the Migration Policy Institute and was a Pre-doctoral fellow for the Department of Politics and International Relations at Florida International University |