HRDAG Welcomes Two New Scholars
HRDAG is pleased to announce two new additions to our team: Paula Amado has joined as a Research Scholar, and María Juliana Durán Fedullo has joined as a Visiting Scholar. Their terms began in the Fall of 2022, and will conclude in the Winter of 2023.
Paula worked as a data scientist at the Commission for Truth, Coexistence and Non-repetition in Colombia, contributing to different projects including “Violencia Sindical en Colombia.” She holds a BA in economics from the Universidad Central (Bogotá, Colombia). While at HRDAG, Paula is supporting the publication and dissemination of data derived from the CEV-HRDAG-JEP project in Colombia. This includes the development of a package in R, the preparation of the data to be published, the development of examples of the use of data and the package, as well as the preparation of materials for the seminars that will be presented in Colombia to disseminate and explain the use of the data.
María Juliana worked as a data analyst, also at the Truth Commission in Colombia, where she was in charge of quantitative analysis for the Human Rights Violations chapter of the Commission’s final report. She holds a BA in Economics from the Universidad de los Andes (Bogotá, Colombia). She is working on the publication of the data that resulted from HRDAG’s work on the Truth Commission, and on tools that will allow people to keep working with that data and expand knowledge further.
From 2020 to 2022, HRDAG collaborated with the Truth Commission (CEV) and the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) in the “JEP-CEV-HRDAG data integration and statistical estimation” project. This project aimed to produce official statistical information on the magnitude and patterns of violence in the context of the Colombian armed conflict and ended with the publication of the Final Report of the Truth Commission.
“I’m so thrilled to be a part of HRDAG. While I worked in the Truth Commission in Colombia, I learned a lot from HRDAG, and I never imagined that later I could join and be a research scholar of the most important institutions of human rights in the world,” says Paula. “Every day, I learn new things through HRDAG’s team, and I think that those new things and tools (like VIM) will be really useful in present and new quantitative projects related to human rights.”
“HRDAG’s work in human rights, and specifically in Colombia, has meant a huge step forward in uncovering the truth of a still ongoing armed conflict,” says María Juliana. “Getting to contribute somehow to that, and working with such a hardworking, kind, smart team is an exciting opportunity, and it has taught me so much and has helped to shape me as a data scientist.”
“I am delighted to have Paula and MJ here in the office with us!” says Megan. “Their dedication to presenting the analytical results of the CEV-JEP-HRDAG project in a way that is clear and accessible is truly impressive. I cannot wait to see what they do next!”