2023 Invited speaker workshop “La construcción de paz ante la violencia criminal en México y Colombia” Institut Català Internacional per la Pau (May)
2023 Panelist “Encuentro Internacional de Crimen Organizado, Fundación Ideas para la Paz (January)
2023 Invited Guest at Tulane University’s Department of Political Science Lecture Series. Talk “Crime, the state, and violence in Latin America: corruption, repression and negotiation” (March)
2022 Panelist Roundtable “Negotiating with Illicit Actors” in Illicit Economies and Extra-legal actors Conference, San Diego (virtual presentation, October)
2022 Guest speaker “Organized Crime in Colombia”, CIDE Course on Transnational Crime in the Americas. (virtual, September)
2022 Panelist “Violence in Mexico” Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, Speaker Series (virtual, September)
2022 Panelist Seminar “Sucesores del Paramilitarismo en Colombia”, IEPRI, Universidad Nacional de Colombia (virtual, June)
2022 Panelist, Policing Crisis Conference, University at Albany SUNY, May.
2022 Discussant, “La Revolución de la Cocaína en Venezuela”, Insight Crime. (virtual, May)
2022 Guest speaker, talk “Drug Policy in Latin America,” Great Decisions series, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, November.
2022 Guest speaker, talk “Drug Policy in Latin America,” Great Decisions series, World Oregon (virtual)
2021 Panelist, Colombian Final Peace Agreement: Balance from abroad, CUNY (December, virtual)
2021 Invited Guest at America University’s Department of Government Workshop “(Enforced) Disappearance: Hiding Violence, Instilling Terror or Avoiding Blame?” (October, virtual)
2021 Presenter, event “Illegal Rents, Armed Actors and Inequality” organized by the Research and Activism network for Coexistence, Venezuela (July, virtual)
2021 Guest speaker, cátedra contexto regional sobre factores de persistencia de la violencia, Universidad del Tolima, Colombia (virtual)
2021 Panelist, event “The Impact of Covid-19 on Illicit Trade Networks” organized by Americas Society/Council of the Americas (virtual, April)
2021 Invited Guest at Northwestern University’s Comparative Politics Workshop “Negotiating with criminal, non-rebel groups in Latin America” (virtual, March)
2021 Panelist, Event “Dialogue, Mediation and Negotiation with Criminal Actors”, ICIP Barcelona (virtual, April)
2020 III Seminario Internacional del Observatorio Colombiano de Crimen Organizado “Covid Y Crimen: La Evolución del Crimen Organizado En Las Americas 2020”, Universidad del Rosario (November)
2020 Panelist, II Congreso de la Red Latinoamericana de Seguridad Incluyente y Sostenible, Friedrich Ebert Foundation Colombia (November)
2020 Panelist, E-Symposium “Colombia: Construcción de Paz y Gobernanza Local y Persistencia de la Violencia” Universidad del Rosario (November)
2020 Panelist, VII Congreso Internacional de Prevención Social de la Violencia y la Delincuencia, Secretaria de Seguridad Pública, Guanajuato, Mexico. (November)
2020 Commentator book launch “Violencia y paz en la Guerra contra las drogas. Ofensivas estatales y cartels en América Latina” by Benjamin Lessing.
2020 Panelist, Seminar “Masacres y Narcotráfico en Colombia”, CESED, Universidad de los Andes, Colombia (September)
2020 Panelist, conference Workshop “Between War Making and Peace Building: Mexico’s War on Drugs Revisited (2007-2020)”, Center of US-Mexican Studies, UC San Diego and George Washington University (August)
2020 Guest speaker, “Hablemos de Seguridad” con Lucía Dammert y Eduardo Vergara, “Criminalidad Organizada y Covid-19 en América Latina”, via zoom (July)
2020 Invited Guest at Boston University’s Research in Comparative Politics Workshop “Negotiating with criminal, non-rebel groups in Latin America” (March)
2020 Guest speaker, Wynia Fund lecture “Crime, Violence, and the State in Colombia and Mexico” (February)
2019 Panel guest at Baruch College- Global Insights: Colombia’s Peace Process at the Crossroads (December).
2020, 2019 Talks “La Evolución de Políticas de Drogas de Largo Plazo en América Latina” and “Narcotráfico y Política”, in Summer Course “Producción, Tráfico y Política de Drogas en América Latina” Cesed, Universidad de Los Andes, Colombia.
2019, 2018 Instructor Session “Drug Violence, Organized Crime and the State”, in Summer course “Armed Conflict, Peace Processes, and Challenges to Peace Building” Universidad de los Andes, Colombia
2019 Talk, “Entre Paz y Corrupción: Posibilidades y Riesgos de Negociar con Grupos Criminales”, CIDE Mexico (February)
2018 Guest speaker, University of Virginia and National Ground Intelligence Center (December).
2018 Keynote Speaker “Estado, Crimen Organizado, y Narcotráfico en las Americas: Cambios, Continuidades y Desafíos”, Conferencia Evolución del Crimen Transnacional Organizado en las Americas, Universidad del Rosario, Colombia (November).
2018 Presentation paper “Path Dependent Trajectories of Criminal Governance: The Contrasting Cases of Cali and Medellin” Conference Criminal Governance in the Americas, University of Chicago.
2018 Keynote Speaker “Las dinámicas políticas de la violencia asociada al narcotráfico en Colombia y México” “5th Coloquio Internacional Sobre Violencia” Universidad Autonóma de Sinaloa, Culiacán-Mexico (October)
2018 Talk “Colombia 2018: Implications for the Peace Process and Drug Policy” Speaker Tuesday Seminar Series, David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies Harvard University.
2018 Talk “Between Corruption and Criminal-State Negotiations” at the workshop “Criminal and Political Violence in Mexico and Central America”. University of California, San Diego, US-Mexico Center, and Stanford University Center for Latin American Studies, May.
2018 Talk “Negotiating with Criminals”, at the Workshop New Research on Violence by Women, and paper “Criminality after Conflict” presented at the Peace Conflict and Violence Workshop. University of Notre Dame, April 9.
2018 Talk “Changes and Challenges of Drug Policies in the Americas,” given at Executive Education Studio Trafficking Systems. Rhode Island School of Design February.
2017 Talk “The Politics of Drug Violence,” given at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Perú, December.
2017 Talk “A Research Agenda on State, Crime, and Violence”, given at Universidad Nacional Tres de Febrero (Argentina), November.
2017 Talk “The Politics of Drug Violence,” given at Canisius College, Center for Latin American Studies, April.
2017 Talk “Drug Trafficking in Latin America and the Peace Process in Colombia”, given at Brandeis University, Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies, March.
2016 Talk “Counternarcotic Policies in Latin America and Peace Process in Colombia” given at a training session of the ERCAIAD (Regional School of the Counternarcotics Intelligence Community of the Americas), Colombian National Police. November 2016.
2016 Talk “Drug Trafficking, Peace Agreement and Post Conflict” Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano, Alexander Vom Humbolt Series, Bogotá, Colombia. November.
2016 Talk “Coping with Danger and Fear: Organized Civilian Responses to Violence in Mexico” at Conference Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económica, CIDE, Mexico City, September.
2015 Talk “Criminals. Cops and Politicians: Dynamics of Drug Violence in Colombia and Mexico” given at Tuesday Seminar Series, David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, Harvard University, September.
2014 Talk “Drug Trafficking and the Peace Process in Colombia”, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, May.
2013 Talk “How Might a Peace Agenda Address the Nexus of Drug Trafficking and Violence? Evidence from Cali and Medellín” at Conference “Pending Issues on the Colombian Peace Agenda”, April, United States Institute of Peace.
2013 Talk “Violencia y narcotráfico en Cali y Ciudad Juárez”, at Conference “The Public/Citizen Insecurity in Latin America: A Regional approach” ITAM – Stanford University, Mexico City, 2013.
2012 Presentations about youth and violence in Ciudad Juárez and Medellín, Coloquio “Las violencias que afectan a los jóvenes en América Latina”, El Colegio de Mexico, 2012.
2012 Talk “Narcotráfico y violencia en Colombia y Mexico”, given at Conference “Nuevas perspectivas sobre la violencia en Colombia” Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, May.
2012 Talk “Drugs, Crime, and Violence: Redefining the Link and Rethinking Policy Alternatives”, given at Conference “Drug wars in the Americas: Looking back and thinking ahead” Brown University, 2012.
2012 Talk “The Drug War in Mexico: Beyond Money and Munitions” given at EPIIC Symposium, Tufts University.
2011 Talk “Narcotics-associated violence in Mexican and Colombian cities: A comparison”, at Conference “Narcotic Wars At the Border” Harvard University, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy.
2011 Talk “Drug violence in three Mexican cities” at Conference “Violent cities in the Global South”, Brown University, Watson Institute for International Studies and Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies.
2010 Talk “Drugs, violence and state sponsored protection rackets in Mexico”, at Conference “Drug Trafficking-Related Violence in Mexico”, University of San Diego, Transborder Institute, 2010.
2009 Presentation paper “Does illegality breed violence? Drug trafficking and State Sponsored Protection Rackets” at Conference “Drug Trafficking, Violence and Instability in Mexico, Colombia and the Caribbean” University of Pittsburgh.
2007 Presentation at the brainstorming session the impact of organized crime on democratic governance in Central America and the Caribbean, United Nations Secretariat, New York 2007.
2007 Guest Speaker, Extension Course (Certificate) on Analysis of Current Political Events, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
LATIN AMERICAN STUDIES ASSOCIATION LASA, Washington D.C., 2013.
“State power, criminal competition, and drug violence: a systematic comparison between Colombian and Mexican cities”.
MIDWEST POLITICAL SCIENCE ASSOCIATION MPSA, Chicago, 2009.
“Partisan clues: the role of political parties in Latin American referenda”.
Member of Editorial Collective of the Journal Studies in Comparative International Development (2013-2020). Member of advisory committee for Journal of Political Science (Revista de Ciencia Política) Universidad Nacional de Colombia.
Reviewer for: American Journal of Political Science*, American Political Science Review*, Perspectives on Politics,* Journal of Peace Research, Journal of Conflict Resolution*, World Politics, World Development, British Journal of Political Science, International Studies Quarterly, Comparative Politics, Comparative Political Studies*, Latin American Politics and Society*, European Journal of International Relations, Latin American Research Review, Journal of Latin American Studies, International Journal of Drug Policy, Global Crime, Development in Practice, Bulletin of Latin American Research, Middle Atlantic Review of Latin American Studies, Journal of Peacebuilding and Development, Governance, The Social History of Alcohol and Drugs, Journal of Illicit Economies and Development
*Several reviews completed for this journal
Reviewer for Journals in Latin America: Papel Político, Colombia Internacional, Latin American Law Review, Revista Ciencia Política, Revista Estudios Sociológicos, Política y Gobierno, Revista Colombiana de Sociología.