Soledad Álvarez Velasco

Soledad Álvarez Velasco is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Latin American & Latino Studies at the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC), affiliated with the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She holds an interdisciplinary focus on migration studies and human geography, with research links to The Field Museum. Her work examines transnational migration dynamics across the Americas, emphasizing border regimes, migratory corridors, and migrant agency.

Education:

• PhD in Human Geography, King’s College London (2019)
• MS in Social Anthropology, Universidad Iberoamericana de México (2010)
• BA in Sociology and Liberal Arts, Universidad San Francisco de Quito (2005)

Research Focus: Investigates undocumented migration pathways, U.S. border externalization impacts, Andean Region corridors, and transnational migrant networks. Uses multi-sited ethnography and digital methods to analyze spatial-temporal migrant trajectories. Specializes in unaccompanied minors and the socio-spatial dimensions of migration control.