Isabel Garcia Valdivia

Isabel Garcia Valdivia is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at the University of Oregon, Eugene, specializing in immigration, race and ethnicity, social stratification, and life course/aging studies. She is affiliated with the Department of Sociology within the College of Arts and Sciences.

Her research focuses on how immigration status affects individuals across the life course, with particular attention to aging immigrants and family dynamics in mixed-status households. Dr. Garcia Valdivia employs qualitative and mixed-methods approaches to study immigrant families and their children to inform theories of immigrant incorporation and migrant [il]legality.

Her recent work includes developing the conceptual model of life course illegality (LCI) to bridge research on migrant illegality and life course approaches. She has published in top sociology journals including Social Forces and Social Problems, where her article 'Legal Power in Action' won two major student paper awards.

Her research portfolio shows a clear trajectory examining immigration experiences from multiple angles: the transition to adulthood for children of immigrants, late adulthood experiences of aging immigrants, and family dynamics in the context of immigration status.

• two student paper awards from the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP)
• two student paper awards from the American Sociological Association (ASA)

Dr. Garcia Valdivia's work has been supported by prestigious funding sources including the National Science Foundation, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the Eugene V. Cota-Robles Fellowship. She is actively involved in collaborative research projects examining immigrant graduate students in U.S. higher education and their workforce experiences after graduation.

Her research contributes significantly to understanding how immigration policies impact individuals across different life stages and family contexts, with important implications for policy and immigrant communities.