Rodriguez Alcazar, Maria

Maria Rodriguez Alcázar started as a PhD Fellow at UNU-CRIS and Ghent University, with the support of La Caixa Fellowship programme on 1 October 2021. In her research she tries to move beyond the Eurocentric perspective and analyse the model of regional integration developed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Her project aims to identify the key steps followed by ECOWAS in the areas of economy, security and rule of law.

Maria holds a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from the Complutense University of Madrid. She specialised in African Studies pursuing several trainings and earning a Master's degree in that field from the Lisbon University Institute ISCTE-IUL. During her Master's thesis she focused on the integration process of ECOWAS, analysing the operations around the 2016 elections in The Gambia. 

She was an intern at Estudios de Política Exterior S.A. and the Centre for International Studies of the Lisbon University Institute, working as international analyst mainly on African related issues, and at the Spanish General Consulate in Dakar in relation with migration issues. She previously worked as policy and advocacy officer in the field of human rights with a focus on children and young people. She has combined her studies with volunteering activities in the youth field, being currently Board Member at the European Youth Forum.