Luis Rivera-Vélez

Luis Rivera-Vélez serves as a Visiting Professor for the 2024-2025 academic year in the AmericaS program and is a political science researcher affiliated with the Centre d'Études Mexicaines et Centraméricaines (CEMCA) in Mexico.

His research centers on public policy formulation around morally contentious social issues, with specific expertise in abortion legislation, LGBTQI+ rights advocacy, drug policy reform (particularly marijuana legalization in Latin America), and climate change governance. His methodological approach emphasizes strategic litigation as a catalyst for policy transformation, building on prior work analyzing Uruguay's "rights program" and UN climate initiatives. Current projects examine cross-border applications of legal challenges to reshape public policies in Latin America and globally.

Rivera-Vélez's scholarly trajectory demonstrates consistent focus on the intersection of morality, law, and social policy, evolving from doctoral research on drug legalization in Mexico/Colombia to postdoctoral work on UN climate frameworks and contemporary strategic litigation studies.