SM Rodriguez

SM Rodriguez is an Assistant Professor of Gender, Rights and Human Rights at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Department of Gender Studies. They hold affiliate roles at the Mannheim Centre for Criminology and lead initiatives like Black Queer Movements and The Black Professors Pipeline. Their work integrates scholar-activism focused on penal abolition, anti-violence strategies, and the intersections of race, gender, and disability.

Research expertise includes anticarceral feminism, transnational social movements, and the impact of criminalization on African diasporic communities. They have authored a monograph on Ugandan LGBTI rights advocacy and are currently writing on global abolitionist movements. Rodriguez’s methodologies emphasize engaged scholarship and transformative justice.

Recent publications explore abolitionist futures, Black safety in carceral contexts, and queer anti-violence organizing. They have been awarded the AAUW American Postdoctoral Fellowship (2020-21) and contributed to organizational practices through their activism.

Teaching includes LGBTQ+ Studies program leadership at Hofstra University and current roles at LSE. Rodriguez’s work bridges academia and grassroots movements, prioritizing marginalized voices in scholarship and policy.