Laura is a Colombian Social and Community Psychologist, and is currently an Associate Professor at Universidad de La Sabana (Chía, Colombia). Laura undertook her postgraduate education in the Department of Psychological and Behavioural Science at LSE, completing a Master’s in Health, Community and Development in 2013 and a PhD in 2024. Her thesis focused on understanding how social identities and social representations can be mediators of reconciliation in divided societies, particularly through everyday practices and interactions. She has worked with former FARC-EP guerrilla members for the past seven years, supporting the reincorporation process in the country and understanding the nuances of identity transformation in post-accord Colombia.

Laura is the Principal Investigator of the Education, Land and Reconciliation project (EDUCARE in Spanish), funded by the Spencer Foundation. This project aims to co-construct an educational model that recognises local knowledge and practices of a community of former guerrilla members in the south of Colombia. She was also a research officer of the STARS-C project (Funded by UKRI and Minciencias), focused on the implementation of a participatory intervention designed to strengthen mental health care systems with conflict-affected actors in Colombia. Her research focuses on the role of partnerships between academia and local organisations to develop and support local initiatives linked to mental health and education in conflict-affected settings.