Sammia Poveda Villalba

Sammia Poveda Villalba holds a Researcher position in the Department of Geography at Royal Holloway, University of London. Her work focuses on the intersection of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), human development, and public policy in Latin America, particularly Brazil. She completed her Ph.D. in Geography and holds advanced degrees in Social Studies, Communications, and Design.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Geography, Royal Holloway, University of London (2011–2012)
• Master's in Social Studies (Information & Knowledge Society), Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (2007–2009)
• Master's in Communications (Multimedia Creation), Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (2005–2007)
• MBA in Strategic Management, Fundação Getúlio Vargas (2005–2006)
• Bachelor's in Design, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (1999–2004)

Research Interests:

Her research investigates how ICTs intersect with individual agency and societal development, especially through the lens of Amartya Sen's Capability Approach and Paulo Freire's critical pedagogy. Central questions include why marginalized groups often underutilize ICTs for development despite access to training. Fieldwork in Brazil compared NGO-led Freire-inspired ICT education with government programs, highlighting adaptive preferences and oppressive structures limiting technology's transformative potential.

Projects: Co-led the UNICEF Participatory Methods Toolkit (2015–2016) to enhance child/youth engagement in policy-making.

External Roles:

• PhD Tutor, The Brilliant Club (2014–2015)
• Co-ordinator, Technology Group at Human Development and Capability Association (2013–present)

Labs/Teams: Active in the Technology Group within the Human Development and Capability Association, focusing on capability-enhancing technologies.