Sandra Elizabeth ZAPATA MAFLA

EDUCATION:

01.01.16-23.10.20         PhD in Social Sciences/ Salamanca, Spain. Faculty of Social Sciences/Department of Applied Economy/University of  Salamanca/ Dissertation: “South-South Cooperation in Latin America during the XXI century: the case of Ecuador 2000-2015”

01.08.11-15.03.13         Master in International Development Policy/ Seoul, South Korea. Graduate School of International Studies / Seoul National University (SNU)

01.09.09-18.01.12         Master in International Relations/ Quito, Ecuador. Faculty of International Relations/Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences  (FLACSO Ecuador)                                            

01.09.04- 10.03.08        Bachelor in Arts, Modern Languages and International. Affairs / Quito, Ecuador. Faculty of Communication, Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador (PUCE)

CURRENT POSITIONS:

22.05.2025 – present     Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Ca’ Foscari University of Venice. Department of Comparative Linguistic and Cultural Studies, Scientific-disciplinary sector: History and Institutions of the Americas. According to Decreto MUR n. 47, PNRR – Missione 4. Project description: “EU-LAC Relations in Times of US-China Confrontation: Explaining the Discrepancy between Pro-China Rhetoric and Pragmatic Actions of Peripheral Countries in Multilateral Forums”

01.12.23-31.12.24         Maternity leave (one child born on 22.12.23)

01.11.20-30.05.2025     Postdoctoral-Researcher/Nürnberg, Germany. Chair of International Business and Society Relations with focus on Latin America/Department of Social Sciences/Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) / Description: Researcher EU-funded bi-regional project Jean Monnet "The reconfiguration of the EU presence in Latin America (EUinLAC)". Topic: the EU-LAC relations in times of China-USA competition. 

01.03.22 – present         Consultant and Land Analyst trainer /Bonn, Germany

Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) /Description: Training German experts and executives in international cooperation, development policies with tailored information for the Ecuador case. 

28.11.24 Language teacher /Erlangen, Germany. Steuben Sprachschule Institute/ Description: offer training courses on Spanish for Business and Spanish for Culture and travel. 

01.06.20-present           Language teacher/Nürnberg, Germany. Sprachschule Aktiv Institute / Description: offer training courses on Spanish for Business and Spanish for Culture and travel. 

PREVIOUS POSITIONS:

01.01.16-31.12.2018     Associate researcher at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO Spain). Department of Political Science/ Salamanca-Spain/ Description: Coordinating academic activities such as seminars, symposia, congresses (CEISAL, ICA), and conferences within the field of Political Science under the guidance of Dr. Manuel Alcántara.

01.01.17-30.07.17         Associate researcher at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO Ecuador)

Faculty of International Relations /Salamanca, Spain / Description: coordinating academic and logistic activities for the CEISAL panel “Regional processes in LA between rhetoric and pragmatism in the 21st century”. 

01.06.13-31.12.15         Project Coordinator of International Cooperation. Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)/Quito-Ecuador/ Description: Managing nationwide development projects encompassing negotiation, selection, execution, monitoring, and evaluation phases, with a $20 million budget spanning four years across energy, health, education, and capacity building sectors. Additionally, overseeing a team of four to manage the Volunteer Program, Scholarship Program, and Expert & Professional Trainings.

01.08.13-31.10.13               Consultant for the San Martín National University (UNSAM). Faculty of International Relations/Buenos Aires-Argentina/ Description: Leading the "Dynamics of political and economic cooperation in Iberoamerica" project, which involves mapping national actors and governmental institutions engaged in International Cooperation in Brazil and Venezuela.

01.02.13-30.05.13         Analyst for International Cooperation. National Secretariat for Higher Education -SENESCYT / Quito-Ecuador/ Description: Leading negotiations with bilateral and multilateral agencies, formalizing Memorandums of Understanding in science and technology domains. Ensuring alignment and harmonization of international cooperation projects in line with Ecuador's development priorities.

01.08.10-30.07.11         Consultant in International Cooperation. Technical Secretariat for International Cooperation – SETECI/Quito-Ecuador/ Description: Facilitating the formulation of the "Ecuadorian Strategy for South-South Cooperation," with a focus on assisting local governments in consolidating cooperation priorities. Also, coordinating national workshops on to build a SSC regional agenda, bringing together representatives from LAC governments and regional organizations.

01.09.09-18.01.12         Research assistant at the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) Ecuador. Department of International Relations/Quito-Ecuador/Description: Contributing to academic articles for "Cooperamos," published by SETECI, and "Linea Sur," by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador, while also preparing reports on South-South cooperation and regionalism in Latin America.

01.09.08-30.08.09         Analyst on migration. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ecuador/Department of Migration/ Sucumbíos-Ecuador / Description:  Evaluating applications for refugee status and coordinating activities and workshops on human rights issues with UNHCR, and partner institutions: Ministries, NGOs, Jesuit Refugee Service, HIAS, and IOM.

INTERNATIONAL MOBILITY DURING DOCTORAL STUDIES:

01.11.17-29.02.18         Advisor for International Cooperation. Dominican Institute for Integral Development (IDDI) / Sto. Domingo-Dominican Republic/ Description: Fostering Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) aligned with national development priorities for sustainable development, and crafting collaboration projects with civil society, local government, and the private sector.

01.08.17-30.11.17         Visiting researcher at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA). Institute for Latin American Studies (ILAS-GIGA)/ Hamburg-Germany/ Description: Leading research on "South-South Cooperation in Latin American foreign policies: the case of Ecuador 2000-2015" while fostering academic and scientific collaboration with partner institutions.

01.08.16-30.11.16         Visiting researcher at the German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA). Institute for Latin American Studies (ILAS-GIGA)/ Hamburg-Germany/ Description: getting trainings in research methodologies in the field of international relations.  

FELLOWSHIPS:

2019-2022        Postdoctoral scholarship to develop academic research in the field of International Relations /By the Katholischer Akademischer Ausländer Dienst (KAAD) / Germany  

2016-2018        Doctoral Scholarship to pursue studies at Salamanca University/ By Santander.                  

05-07.10.2016    Academic training at the “Global Governance Academy” in Florence-Italy. I participated in                                                                                       the forum “Reassessing Latin American integration: entering a new stage?”

2011-2013        Master studies scholarship to pursue studies in International Development Policies/Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA)/ South Korea 

2009-2011        Master studies scholarship to study International Relations/ By the Faculty for Latin American Studies (FLACSO)/ Ecuador 

2011                Young American leaders Fellowship: identity and leadership/ By the Forum des jeunes ambassadeurs de la francophonie des Amériques/ Montreal-Canada 

2004-2008        Scholarship for cultural engagement / By the PUCE/ Ecuador 

ORGANISATION & PARTICIPATION IN SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS:

30.06.2025       ICA Novi Sad – Serbia. Panelist “Between rethoric and pragmatism: voting behavior in Latin America in times of US-China confrontation”

24.05.2024        NOLAN Copenhage-Dennmark. Panelist “EU-LAC relations in times of US-China competition”

28.07.2022       KASSA conferences Dar es Salam – Tanzania. Invited to attend the seminars on Things have a Price, People have a Dignity” by Pope Francis

21.07.2022       Arrupe Jesuit University Harare-Zimbabwe. Invited to attend the seminars on “The Involvement of the Church in Societal Processes in Africa”

13.06.2022       CEISAL Helsinki – Finland. Panelist “Power transition: China and USA in Latin America”.

15.08.2022       WISC Buenos Aires – Argentina. Panelist “Power transition: China and USA in Latin America”.

19-23.10.2020    FLACSO Quito-Ecuador. Panelist “The Political Alignment of Latin American Countries to the Hegemonic Influence of the United States and the Emerging Power of China: a Realist perspective”.

29-31.07.2019    CEISAL Bucarest-Rumania. Panelist “South American Foreign Policy towards the hegemonic presence of the United States and the emerging power of China”.  

23-26.05.2018    LASA Barcelona-Spain. Panelist “Reconfigurations of power: challenges of South-South cooperation in Latin America”.

08.02.2018            FLACSO Dominican Republic. Panelist “International cooperation for developmet: tendencies and challenges”

15-20.07.2018     ICA Salamanca-Spain. Coordinator of symposium and panelist “Regional integration in Latin America in the 21st century”.Team member in charge of coordinating administrative issues of the Congress.

17-19.07.2017     FLACSO Salamanca-Spain. Coordinator of symposium and panelist “Integration processes in Latin America: Stagnation and fragmentation”. Team member in charge of coordinating administrative issues of the Congress.

28-30.06.2016     CEISAL Salamanca-Spain. Panelist “Regionalism and cooperation in LAC: perspectives and controversies at CELAC”. Team member in charge of coordinating administrative issues of the Congress.

05-07.10.2016    Global Governance Academy Florence-Italy. Participant “Reassessing Latin American integration: entering a new stage?”

02-16.06.2011    Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) -Canada. Participant “La Francophonie dans les Amériques”. 

SCIENCE COMMUNICATION:

27.06.2025       Speaker on the topic “The EU: A Declining Model in the Latin American Vision?” Project: Summer School “Europe as Seen by Others” organized by the University of Bologna. 

10.2022            TV interview as an expert on “EU driving efforts to re-establish ties in South America: the role of Brazil and the Mercosur agreement with the EU” / Organized by TRT London Round Table. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8e0H3HdRY0s

06.2021            Speaker on the topic “Power transition China and USA: implications for the Latin American countries” /Project: Summer school of compared regionalism/Institution: Universidad Andina Simón Bolivar del Ecuador

06.2021            Speaker on the topic “Andean Countries and Europe: the future of its relations” / Project: EU financed Jean Monnet Project “The reconfiguration of the role of the European Union in Latin America”/ Organized by the Chair of International Business and Society Relations with focus on Latin America, FAU Germany

02.2021            Speaker on the topic “EU and LAC relations: prospective research lines and focus areas” /Project: EU financed Jean Monnet Project “The reconfiguration of the role of the European Union in Latin America”/ Organized by the Chair of International Business and Society Relations with focus on Latin America, FAU

 11.2020           Speaker on the topic “Guide for young Latin American researchers in Germany: practical advices”/Organized by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Deutsche Lateinamerikaforschung, ADLAF / Public online event among different institutions from LAC and EU 

07.2020            Speaker on the topic “Overview of Human Development in Latin America: new tendencies” /Organized by the Virtuelle Hochschule Bayern|VHB / Virtual program: Where does Latin America stay in the world politics? 

06.2020            Assist on the publication of the book project “El mundo antes y después del COVID-19: Reflexiones intelectuales sobre la política, la diplomacia y las relaciones internacionales” / Coordinated by Prof. Gian Luca Gardini, Ph.D., FAU