The Center for Latin American Studies is delighted to welcome Sylvia Cifuentes as a Visiting Scholar for the 2025–2026 academic year. Sylvia comes to Rutgers from Mount Holyoke College (South Hadley, MA), where she serves as Assistant Professor of Environmental and Social Equity and Justice in the Department of Environmental Studies.
Sylvia is an interdisciplinary scholar specializing in environmental justice, Indigenous geographies, global climate politics, and decolonial studies, with a strong focus on the Amazon region.
Her research explores Amazonian Indigenous climate initiatives, land and territorial rights, multispecies climate justice, and the intersections of technology, energy, and wellbeing—areas of inquiry that resonate deeply with CLAS’s mission.
We are thrilled to have her join our community and look forward to the intellectual contributions she will bring throughout the year.
As part of her plans for 2026, Sylvia expects to give a talk on one of her publications in collaboration with the Department of Geography at Rutgers University, and to take part in organizing an event on extractivism in Latin America. Both activities are planned for the Spring 2026 semester.
Find more about Sylvia's work: here