Mariana Velasco-Rivera

Mariana Velasco-Rivera is a legal scholar affiliated with Maynooth University's School of Law and Criminology, joining in October 2021. She holds a Doctor of Juridical Science (JSD) and LLM from Yale Law School, alongside a Licenciatura en Derecho from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM). Her academic career includes postdoctoral research at the Alexander von Humboldt Chair of Comparative Constitutionalism (University of Göttingen, 2019-2021), an Emile Noël Fellowship at NYU School of Law (2020-2021), and clerkship experience at Mexico's Supreme Court (2010-2014).

• Education: JSD & LLM (Yale), Licenciatura en Derecho (ITAM)
• Positions: Postdoctoral Research Fellow (Göttingen), Emile Noël Fellow (NYU), Supreme Court Clerk (Mexico)

Her research focuses on constitutional law, comparative constitutionalism, and constitutional theory, particularly examining how political norms and practices shape legal institutions. Her work addresses constitutional rigidity, constituent power, and democratic governance, with empirical studies on Latin American courts and Mexican constitutional reforms.

Scientific awards and fellowships include:

• Yale Fox International Fellow (2016-2017)
• Emile Noël Fellow at NYU School of Law (2020-2021)
• Postdoctoral Research Fellow at University of Göttingen (2019-2021)

Her publications analyze constitutional design, judicial politics, and democratic backsliding, including comparative studies of Latin American courts and critiques of Mexican constitutional practices. She has contributed to debates on legal personhood, electoral integrity, and open democratic models.