Villanova Latin American Studies Professor Receives Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award

VILLANOVA, Pa. (June 3, 2026)-Raúl Diego Rivera Hernández, PhD, director of the Latin American Studies program and associate professor in the Department of Spanish at Villanova University, has been awarded a prestigious 2026-2027 Fulbright U.S. Scholar grant by the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. From January through June 2027, Dr. Diego Rivera Hernández will serve as a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence in the Department of North American Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, at Charles University in Prague, Czechia.

Advancing international educational and cultural exchange, the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program offers awards in more than 120 countries for U.S. citizens to teach, conduct research and carry out professional projects around the world. Dr. Diego Rivera Hernández is among a select number of grant recipients chosen on the basis of academic and professional achievement as well as a record of service and demonstrated leadership in their respective fields.

"This award and program help build and strengthen academic relationships and friendships, triggering new and meaningful conversations and contributions," said Dr. Diego Rivera Hernández. "It offers not only the experience of a different culture and scholastic life, but the ability to discover a different side of yourself, and I am deeply grateful to the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program and Charles University for the opportunity."

During his time in Czechia, Dr. Diego Rivera Hernández will work to strengthen Charles University's North American Studies offerings, with special attention paid to Mexico and the country's connection to the U.S. As a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence, he will develop and instruct a graduate seminar on the "war on drugs," trafficking-related violence, migration and human rights issues, embracing an interdisciplinary approach that blends cultural studies, political science and security studies. He will also present his research on the "disappeared" migrants of Central America-a focus of a chapter of his book Narratives of Vulnerability in Mexico's War on Drugs and a forthcoming documentary film.

"As a scholar and professor at Villanova, Dr. Diego Rivera Hernández consistently demonstrates commitment and care to both producing high-impact research and integrating his expertise into his classes," said Adele Lindenmeyr, PhD, William and Julia Moulden Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. "A well-deserved recipient of the Fulbright scholarship, he will not only enrich his scholarly expertise on Mexican and continental affairs, but also expand his already significant intellectual and administrative impact on campus and within our interdisciplinary programs."

Dr. Diego Rivera Hernández joined Villanova's faculty in 2015. He holds a doctorate in Spanish from The Ohio State University as well as a bachelor's degree in Latin American Literature from the Autonomous University of Yucatán in Mérida, Mexico. A cross-disciplinary research specialist, he has extensively investigated and detailed the experiences of various groups, ranging from the mourning relatives of victims of severe crimes to journalists reporting on violence in highly dangerous areas. Recently, with grant support from the University's Ethics program, he has started an academic project on culinary entrepreneurship within the Philadelphia region's Mexican communities, examined through the lens of "human flourishing."

About Villanova University: Since 1842, Villanova University's Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition has been the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges-the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Villanova School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Ranked among the nation's top universities, Villanova supports its students' intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit www.villanova.edu.