Erika Arenas

Erika Arenas is an Associate Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, specializing in Sociology. Her research focuses on migration, social stratification based on skin color, and the impact of social programs on socio-economic outcomes. She holds a Ph.D. from UCLA and is a co-Principal Investigator (co-PI) and co-Director of the fourth wave of the Mexican Family Life Survey (MxFLS-4), a groundbreaking transnational panel study.

Her work explores how undocumented status affects mental health, the role of skin color in life opportunities using novel measurement tools, and evaluating programs like Mexico's Seguro Popular and Prospera. She has contributed to methodological advancements in census practices, particularly for Afro-Mexican population counting.

Erika's research spans interdisciplinary areas including demography, public policy analysis, and health disparities. Her recent studies highlight the fluidity of Mestizaje identity and the intersection of anti-Indigenous/Black racism with economic trajectories. She has secured grants such as UC-Mexus funding for migration and health studies.

Her teaching portfolio includes courses like SOC 10 Logics of Inquiry and SOC 205B Statistics, reflecting her commitment to both undergraduate and graduate education in sociological methods and migration studies.