Bio

I am doctoral student at MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning (DUSP) affiliated to the department's International Development Group (IDG). My current research interests focus on: the migration-development nexus, transnational migrant organizations, Dominican hometown associations (HTAs) and state-society synergies.

Before joining MIT, I spent close to seven years as Research Director in the Center for the New Economy (CNE), a Puerto Rico-based, non-profit think-tank dedicated to promoting innovative and progressive economic development projects and policies. While at the Center, I also taught geography and planning courses at the University of Puerto Rico's Río Piedras Campus, and also at the Polytechnic University's School of Architecture. Although my doctoral work keeps me quite occupied, I still collaborate with the CNE and keep a close watch on socioeconomic affairs in my native Puerto Rico.

I completed a Masters in City Planning (MCP) at UC Berkeley's Department of City and Regional Planning (DCRP) prior to joining the CNE. My Masters work looked at high-technology policy in Puerto Rico and the contemporary economic development challenges in the island. I spent my college days at the University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras Camups, where I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BA in economics and geography.

For those interested, here's an abridged copy of my CV.

Works in Progress

"Social Remittances Revisited" (with Peggy Levitt) Accepted for publication in the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (January 2011).

"Bringing Culture Back In: Opportunities and Challenges for the Migration Development Nexus" (with Peggy Levitt) In eds. Joseph Stiglitz Managing Migration: Maximizing Development and Well-being in Sending and Receiving Nations. New York: Columbia University Press, under review.

"Escalas de las comunidades imaginarias: de lo local a lo transnacional y viceversa" En eds. Felipe de Alba, Frederic Lesemann y Alicia Ziccardi La informalidad en tiempos de incertidumbre, metrópolis y Estado nacional: una perspectiva interdisciplinaria. México: UNAM.