Ana Laura Zavala Guillen

Ana Laura Zavala Guillen is a Lecturer in the Geography and Environmental Sciences Department at Northumbria University. She holds a PhD in Human Geography from the University of Sheffield, an MA in Conflict Resolution from Bradford University, an MA in Fundamental Rights from Universidad Carlos III de Madrid, and a Law degree from Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Her research focuses on Afro-descendant communities' geographies of resistance in Latin America and the Caribbean, particularly among Maroon-descendant communities. She is a co-founder of the Network of Women Doing Fieldwork, which supports over 200 members in advancing gender-inclusive fieldwork practices.

Her work integrates decolonial methodologies, participatory mapping, and Black epistemologies to explore territorial care, social movements, and regime violence. Key contributions include studies on colonial marronage, gender-based violence in fieldwork, and transnational activist networks. She has been awarded the British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship and ESRC funding, and her research contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to education, justice, and gender equality.

• Research Highlights: Explores historical geographies of resistance, participatory cartography, and Black feminist practices.
• Impact: Influenced university policies on fieldwork safety and developed tools like a Zotero database on gender and data collection.
• Awards: British Academy Postdoctoral Fellowship, ESRC Fellowship, Rotary Peace Fellowship.