School of Social and Political Science

Dr Omar Alejandro Loera

PhD title: Making Sense of Mexico's Place In The World: A Role Theoretical Analysis Of Mexico's Foreign Policy

DrLoera
o.loera@ed.ac.uk
+44 (0)131 6+526141414386
Whatsapp: +44 7712128579
https://www.linkedin.com/in/omar-alejandro-loera//
https://twitter.com/@oloerag/
Edinburgh
UK

Research interests

Elections, public opinion and parties Governance of welfare states International development International Political Economy Research Group International Relations Research Group Political Theory Research Group

Mexico, Foreign Policy, Domestic sources of Foreign Policy, Geopolitics, Mexico-U.S. relations, Autonomy in Foreign Policy, the structure/agency problem, Role Theory

Research experience

  • (2017) Field research coordinator for a team funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) to provide consultancy services to the Ministry of Education and Culture of Belize. Interviews, surveys and ethnographic methods were employed. I took part on the coding of the data gathered.
  • (2015). Assistant researcher of a team funded by the Inter-American
    Development Bank (IADB) for the elaboration of a case study concerning the
    tentative replication of specialized STEM schools in the Dominican Republic. I took part on the field research which was carried out on the Hermanas Mirabal Province on the Dominican Republic from May to June. Surveys, interviews, questionnaires, focus groups were employed. I took part on the coding of data gathered.
  • (2013). Assistant researcher for a project funded by the Clinton Global Initiative, evaluating the teaching of the English language to Mexican youngsters in the Mexican state of Puebla. I took part on the coding of the data gathered.
  • (2012). Assistant Researcher for a research project of the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) with the purpose of evaluating pedagogical practices in math and science in Paraguay, the Dominican Republic and Mexico. I took part on the coding of the data gathered.

Background

Supervisors

SPS PG Representative (2020-2021).

*Omar is the recipient of the Carlos Fuentes Award 2019-2021 for outstanding academic achievements in the United Kingdom and research contributions to Social Sciences.

  • Co-convenor of the Foreign Policy Research Group at the University of Edinburgh (2019-2021).

Qualifications

  • Ph.D. in Politics and International Relations (2021), University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom.
  • MSc in International Relations (2014), University of Bristol, United Kingdom.

Dissertation: “Mexico’s bilateral relation with the United States: Opportunities and constraints for Mexican foreign policy from the year 2000 to 2012”.[Distinction mark obtained].

  • Graduate Certificate on U.S.-Mexico border studies, Colegio de la Frontera Norte (2017).
  • B.A. in International Relations (2012) Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico.

Minor in International trade. Dissertation title: “The role of energy security in contemporary relations between Guatemala and Mexico seen from the Copenhagen school of security studies”.

Teaching experience

Lecturer at Tecnológico de Monterrey (2021)

Tutor in Comparative Politics in a Globalised World course at the University of Edinburgh (2021)

(2015-17). Adjunct university lecturer for undergraduate-level students at Tecnologico de Monterrey, in Mexico. Courses lectured:

  • Foreign Policy Analysis (2015).
  • International Relations Seminar (2015).
  • North American Regional Scenario (2015-16).
  • Latin American Regional Scenario (2016).
  • European Regional Scenario (2016).
  • Middle East Regional Scenario (2016).
  • Consular and diplomatic politics (2015-16).
  • Economic globalization (2015-16).
  • Economy and the State (2016).
  • Development, Society and Citizenship in Mexico (2016-17).

Awards

  • CONACyT fellow (Mexico).
  • City of Chihuahua (Mexico) outstanding youth award-1st place.
  • State of Chihuahua (Mexico) outstanding youth award- 1st place.

Publications

  • “Children and youth migrants in Mexico: State of research and public policy” Spanish Journal of Social Security and Employment. ISSN 2174-7504, Nº. 120, pp: 113-132.
  • Montero-Sieburth, Martha & Loera, Omar. "Policy and Research of Returning Mexican and Stranded Central American Youth: The absence of pluricultural/intercultural educational practice in Mexico.” Journal of Intercultural Education.

Conferences

  • "Mexico's foreign policy seen through role theory". Presented at 9th Symposium of Mexican Students in Europe. December 2020.
  • "Mexico's foreign policy as a middle power". Presented at the The European Workshop in International Studies. Krakow, Poland. 2019.
  • “Policy and research findings on youth of migrant descent in Mexico: A state of the art review”.¨Presented at the South-North dialogues about child migration International seminar organized by the University of Leeds, United Kingdom. April 2015.
  • “Institutional governance of the Mexican-U.S. border”, presented at the XXIV annual congress of the Mexican Association of International Studies. October 2015”.

Languages

Spanish: Native speaker

English: Fluent

Memberships

Mexican Association of International Studies (AMEI).

South-North Dialogues on Children of Migrants (SOUNDS).

Omar Loera-Gonzalez

Entendiendo el lugar de México en el mundo: Un análisis teórico de la política exterior de México.

Works within

Omar-alejandro Loera's Research Explorer profile