Laura Balbuena, Ph.D

Executive Director, Fulbright Commission in Peru

PhD and MA in Political Science from the New School for Social Research of New York

Laura Balbuena, Ph.D

Dr. Laura Balbuena earned both her Ph.D. and M.A. in political science from the New School for Social Research of New York and her B.A. in philosophy from the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú (PUCP). She became executive Director of the Fulbright Commission in Peru in March of 2018, having worked in international education for more than ten years. Dr. Balbuena has taught at different universities in Peru and overseas. Since 2007, she teaches courses on political philosophy and on gender at the department of social sciences at PUCP, having taught gender courses in different Peruvian cities such as Cusco and Huancayo. At an international level, she has been a visiting scholar at the University of Winnipeg, Canada, and at the Illinois State University at Normal, USA. In the field of peace studies, she has served two terms as Secretary General of the Latin American Council for Peace Research (CLAIP). As a longtime member of the Latin American Studies Association, she has served two terms at the board of the Peru section. Her research focuses on gender, politics and violence, having published articles and given lectures about the subject in different countries. She is part of the board of directors of two non-profits: the Gender Institute of Peru and the International Peace Research Association Foundation (IPRAF, as a former fellow). Dr. Balbuena has won different awards such as the Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund Fellowship, the Dorothy Marchus Senesh Fellowship in Peace and Development Studies, the American Association of University Women International Fellowship, the P.E.O. Peace International Scholarship, and the Friends of Princeton University Library Research Grant.  She was awarded a Senesh Fellowship through the IPRA Foundation from 2004-2005.