Dr Marisol Reyes Soto is a scholar, researcher, and civil servant with extensive experience in international affairs, human rights, and civic education. Over the past eight years, she has contributed to high-profile projects with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights, and the Organization of American States (OAS). Her work as civil servant focused on advancing citizenship, civic engagement, and human rights in the Americas, helping to shape policy and practice in complex, multicultural contexts. Dr. Reyes Soto brings a combination of academic rigor and practical expertise, bridging research, policy, and community action to deliver tangible social impact.
As an academic, Dr. Reyes Soto has lectured at leading institutions across three continents, including the University of Essex (UK), University of Minnesota (USA), and Tecnológico de Monterrey (Mexico). She has also held a Visiting Scholarship at the School of Politics, International Studies, and Philosophy at Queen’s University Belfast (UK), where she engaged in collaborative research on migration, social integration, and civic participation. Her teaching spans undergraduate and postgraduate courses, focusing on migration studies, civic education, international affairs, and social research methods. Through her pedagogy, she encourages students to connect theoretical frameworks with lived experience.
Dr. Reyes Soto’s work has been recognised with prestigious awards and fellowships, including the Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence program, Scholars in Residence (SIR), grants from the Mexican Ministry of Education, the McArthur-Ford-Hewlett Foundation, and the Organization of American States. These accolades underscore her contributions to international scholarship and her commitment to cross-cultural dialogue and knowledge exchange. She is highly skilled in both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, ensuring that her work is analytically robust while remaining deeply grounded in human experience.
Since 2018, Dr. Reyes Soto has been an Honorary Researcher at the Institute for Research into Superdiversity (IRiS) at the University of Birmingham. In this role, she has led and contributed to multiple projects examining community sponsorship programs for refugees in the UK and across Europe, in collaboration with Professor Jenny Phillimore. In 2020, she expanded her work into mentorship, supporting emerging community researchers through the Community Research Training Programme led by Dr. Lisa Goodson. Her approach emphasises participatory research, where the insights of lived experience inform policy recommendations, challenge systemic inequities, and drive meaningful, sustainable change.
Dr. Reyes Soto has published widely in leading peer-reviewed journals, including the Journal of International Migration and Integration, Comparative Migration Studies, and the Journal of Early Childhood Research. Her publications also include book chapters, edited volumes, and policy evaluations of refugee resettlement programs. Her scholarship consistently combines academic knowledge with real-world relevance, demonstrating the power of research to influence policy, strengthen communities, and promote social justice.
Passionate about fostering inclusive, participatory, and evidence-based approaches, Dr. Marisol Reyes Soto continues to advance understanding of migration, civic engagement, and community integration while mentoring future leaders in research and policy. Her career exemplifies the intersection of scholarship, service, and social impact, with a lasting commitment to equity, human rights, and community empowerment.