Lourdes Parra Lazcano

Lourdes Parra Lazcano is a Teaching Assistant at the University of Aberdeen, affiliated with the School of Language, Literature, Music and Visual Culture. She joined the university in autumn 2018, after completing her PhD and working at the University of Leeds. She holds a PhD in Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Her research centers on Mexican and Latinx literature, film, and visual culture, with a strong focus on feminist and transcultural approaches. Key areas include women's travel writing, plant studies, animal studies, and medicinal knowledge systems. She has published a book titled Escritora, no hay camino: Performatividades transculturales de viajeras mexicanas (2025), which explores how Mexican women writers challenge cultural norms through transnational narratives.

Her current research investigates Mexican herbalists and the use of medicinal plants, situating this work within broader environmental and decolonial frameworks. While no recent articles are listed, her scholarly output reflects a consistent engagement with feminist theory, visual culture, and transcultural identity.

• Best Undergraduate Lecturer (front runner, 2024/25)
• Best Overall Course Award (nominee, 2024/25)
• AHGBI-WISPS Dorothy Sherman-Severin Research Fellowship for Early-Career Researchers in Luso-Hispanic Studies (2021)
• UK Scholar Research Support by the Society of Latin American Studies (2025)

She teaches and coordinates several undergraduate courses in Spanish and film, including topics such as Latin American history, culture, and medical Spanish. She also contributes to interdisciplinary programs like Film & Visual Culture and Arts for a More Sustainable Planet. She serves as Go Abroad Tutor Coordinator for Spanish and Latin American Studies and is active in academic service, including peer review and committee work. Her knowledge exchange initiatives include public exhibitions, poetry publications, and collaborative documentaries on community gardens and plant-based cultural texts.

She is involved in the Environmental Arts and Humanities Network and serves as Communication Officer for Women in Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies. Her work bridges academic research with public engagement, particularly through museum exhibitions and digital humanities projects.