Luis L. Schenoni

Luis L. Schenoni is an Associate Professor and Director of the Security Studies Programme at the Department of Political Science, University College London. His academic career bridges political science, international relations, and historical analysis with a specialized focus on Latin America.

Dr. Schenoni's research centers on the relationship between war and state formation, particularly examining how international conflicts in nineteenth-century Latin America shaped state development. His work challenges conventional wisdom about Latin American state weakness and offers a novel framework for understanding how war outcomes—particularly victories—impact long-term state building processes. His research methodology combines comparative historical analysis with cutting-edge social science methods.

His recent book Bringing War Back In: Victory, Defeat, and the State in Nineteenth-Century Latin America (Cambridge University Press, 2024) has generated significant scholarly attention and praise from leading academics across multiple institutions. The work demonstrates how international wars triggered state-building in nineteenth-century Latin America, how war outcomes affected the legitimacy of these efforts, and how contemporary state capacity continues to reflect these historical processes.

Dr. Schenoni's scholarly contributions have been recognized with the 2025 ECPR Rising Star Award. His research has appeared in top journals including the American Journal of Political Science, British Journal of Political Science, International Security, International Studies Quarterly, and Security Studies.

His academic journey began with a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Notre Dame (2015-2020), followed by postdoctoral research at the University of Konstanz. He maintains additional academic connections as a Research Associate at Universidad Torcuato Di Tella.