Vanessa Perez

Dr. Vanessa Perez is an Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida (USF) in the School of Interdisciplinary Global Studies (SIGS). She previously held positions at the City University of New York (CUNY) and Johns Hopkins University. Her expertise spans political behavior, Latino politics, and data analytics. Dr. Perez earned her Ph.D., M.A., and B.A. in Political Science from Columbia University. She has conducted research funded by the Mellon Foundation and other grants, focusing on voting patterns, election laws, and healthcare policy. Her work bridges historical analysis with modern data science, particularly examining Latino voter dynamics in Florida. She actively collaborates with institutions like Nanzan University in Japan to foster intercultural academic exchanges.

**Research & Grants**: Her studies include voter identification laws’ historical impact, Florida Puerto Rican electoral behavior, and public perception of pre-poll elections. Grants include Mellon Foundation (2018–2019) and PSC-CUNY awards. She has presented at the American Political Science Association and Midwest Political Science Association conferences.

**Teaching & Awards**: Dr. Perez teaches courses on campaigns, Latino politics, and quantitative methods. She received the Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching (2016–2017) and COIL Fellowships for global collaboration. Her courses integrate interdisciplinary approaches, such as analyzing American political culture through comic books and superheroes.

**Future Work**: Her current book project applies data science to study partisan shifts among Latino voters in Florida. She emphasizes collaborative international research and innovative pedagogy.