Ainhoa Montoya

Dr. Ainhoa Montoya is a Reader in Latin American Studies at the University of London's School of Advanced Study, holding a position in the Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies. She is Director of the Centre for Latin American and Caribbean Studies (CLACS) and currently on research leave. Her academic journey includes a BA from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, an MPhil from the University of Cambridge, and a PhD from the University of Manchester.

Her research focuses on political and legal anthropology, with emphases on environmental humanities, legal pluralism, and post-conflict societies. Key projects include the ESRC-funded 'Legal Cultures of the Subsoil' and the British Academy-supported 'Cross-Border Environmental Care in Transboundary Watersheds.' She also leads training initiatives for early-career researchers in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Montoya has published extensively on topics such as postwar El Salvador's political dynamics, anti-mining activism in Central America, and transboundary water governance. Her work bridges anthropology, geography, and legal studies, emphasizing grassroots legal innovations and their socio-environmental implications. Awards include the ESRC Future Research Leaders Fellowship and British Academy Sustainable Development funding. She mentors doctoral candidates and serves on editorial boards for journals like Disparidades and the Bulletin of Latin American Research.

Her consultancy includes UK Home Office Immigration research and environmental policy work for the Basque Cooperation Agency. Recent projects explore transboundary hydrocommons as climate action pathways and the decolonization of legal frameworks in resource governance.