Laia Folguera Cots

Laia Folguera Cots is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Barcelona's Faculty of Economics and Business. Holding a PhD in Sociology from the University of Barcelona (2008), she maintains active research and teaching positions with verified academic credentials including ORCID (0000-0001-9730-0154) and Scopus Author ID (55874816300).

Her research interests focus on critical contemporary social issues, particularly gender inequalities, sexualities and feminism, social, cultural and economic inequalities, welfare, quality of life and social policies, health and happiness, and family transformations and policies. Her work bridges theoretical frameworks with practical social analysis, examining how structural inequalities manifest in everyday life experiences.

Analysis of her recent publications reveals a consistent methodological focus on qualitative research approaches, particularly longitudinal studies examining binational couples, migration patterns, and gender dynamics. Her work demonstrates strong interdisciplinary connections between sociology, gender studies, and migration research, with particular emphasis on Spanish and European contexts. The publications show increasing collaboration with international researchers and engagement with contemporary social challenges including economic crises and their impact on youth.

Folguera Cots actively participates in research funding initiatives, currently serving as team member on two significant projects: 'Motivations, experiences and consequences of returns and readmissions policy: revealing and developing effective alternatives (MORE)' (2023-2026, EU-funded) and 'Extreme Violence Against Women: Criminal Response and Alternatives for Prevention' (2023-2027, Ministry of Science and Innovation). She has supervised doctoral research including David Garriga Guitart's 2023 thesis on Iranian women's social representations after temporary marriage.

She is affiliated with two prominent research groups: the Applied Social Research Group: Quality of Life, Security and Citizenship (GRISA) and the Applied Research and Knowledge for Society (ARKS). Her teaching portfolio includes Sociology of Sexuality, Research Techniques in Criminology, Social Control, and Sexual and Gender Crime courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels.