Biography
I am an Assistant Professor of Disasters and Humanitarian Studies and the Deputy Director of the Humanitarian Studies Centre (HSC). With nearly two decades of experience, my work has primarily revolved around humanitarian action, disaster governance, and environmental sociology, particularly in conflict-affected and vulnerable settings. I lecture on humanitarian action, disaster risk reduction, methodology, ethics, and safety and security for in-situ/fieldwork research.
Within the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), I co-coordinate the Humanitarian Governance project (HUM-GOV), funded by a European Research Council (ERC) advanced grant. This project investigates the evolving dynamics of humanitarian governance, with a particular focus on civil society actors and crisis-affected populations. Additionally, as part of this project, I am involved in the coordination of the Observatorio Humanitario de América Latina y el Caribe (OH-LAC).
At ISS I also serve as the Convenor for the Governance and Development Policy Major (GDP) within the Master of Arts in Development Studies, and as a member of the ISS Research Ethics Committee. Furthermore, I lead the Safety and Security for Fieldwork/In-situ Research course (S&S) at CERES, the Dutch Research School for International Development, and hold a visiting professorship at the UN University for Peace, Costa Rica.
My contributions to the field extend beyond academia, serving as a Board Member of the International Humanitarian Studies Association (IHSA) and the Expertise Centre Humanitarian Communication (HumCom). Additionally, I regularly serve as a reviewer for leading journals and actively engage in (applied) research, monitoring, evaluation, and advisory consultancy work, which keeps me closely connected to developments within my areas of expertise. These collaborations have included work with UNDRR, UNICEF, the ICRC, multiple Red Cross Societies, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Islamic Relief International, the Dutch Relief Alliance, Welthungerhilfe, Save the Children, and Afghanaid, among others.
Before my current roles at ISS, my career encompassed positions as a researcher, project manager, and consultant with local and international NGOs, the United Nations, governmental organizations, and the private sector. My professional journey has also included academic roles, lectureships, and visiting professorships at various universities in different countries. Moreover, I have taken on leadership roles in humanitarian aid organizations, coordinated disaster responses, and conducted in-situ research in numerous conflict zones, crisis situations, and regions prone to disasters. My experiences have led me to engage with complex and disaster-affected regions such as Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Chile, Colombia, Jordan, Peru, South Sudan, Uganda, and Yemen.
My educational background includes a PhD in Humanitarian Action and Disaster Governance from the ISS of Erasmus University Rotterdam, an MA in Environmental Studies from the University of Melbourne, and a BA in Sociology and a BA in Political Science from A. Hurtado University. Additionally, I hold diplomas in Quantitative Multivariable Analysis, Environmental Impact Assessment, Public Policy, and Sustainable Development. My experience and training in conducting fieldwork in challenging, complex, and remote areas are bolstered by certifications from reputable institutions such as the United Nations, Red Cross, Centre for Safety and Development, GCORE, and RedR.
International Institute of Social Studies
- mena@iss.nl
- Room
- I4-05
- Location
- Kortenaerkade 12, 's - Gravenhage
Work
- Rodrigo Mena (2023) - Advancing “no natural disasters” with care: risks and strategies to address disasters as political phenomena in conflict zones - Disaster Prevention and Management, 32 (6), 14-28 - doi: 10.1108/DPM-08-2023-0197
- Rodrigo Mena (2023) - Climate change governance: Why a Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) approach is vital for preventing extreme weather events from turning into disasters - [link]
- Rodrigo Mena & Nicolás Caso (2023) - Could we have prevented the disaster in Libya? - [link]
- Nicolás Caso & Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann (2023) - We Could Have Prevented Thousands of Deaths in Libya - [link]
- Nicolás Caso, Dorothea Hilhorst & Rodrigo Mena (2023) - The contribution of armed conflict to vulnerability to disaster: Empirical evidence from 1989 to 2018 - International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 95 - doi: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103881 - [link]
- Nicolás Caso, Dorothea Hilhorst, Rodrigo Mena & Elissaios Papyrakis (2023) - Does disaster contribute to armed conflict?: A quantitative analysis of disaster–conflict co-occurrence between 1990 and 2017 - International Journal of Development Issues - doi: 10.1108/IJDI-01-2023-0015 - [link]
- Rodrigo Mena & Chiara Stenico (2023) - What and why of research ethics? - DevISSues, 25 - [link]
- Rodrigo Mena (2023) - El Laboratorio conversa con Rodrigo Mena - [link]
- Mausumi Moran Chetia, Rodrigo Mena, Kaira Zoe Alburo-Canete & Hyeonggeun Ji (2022) - Multiple Perspectives, Cultivating Communities: Reflections on the NEEDS 2022 Conference - [link]
- Rodrigo Mena, Summer Brown, Laura E.R. Peters, Ilan Kelman & Hyeonggeun Ji (2022) - Connecting Disasters and Climate Change to the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus - Journal of Peacebuilding and Development, 17 (3), 324-340 - doi: 10.1177/15423166221129633 - [link]
- Rodrigo Mena, Juan Ricardo Aparicio & Gabriela Villacis Izquierdo (2022) - Humanitarian action in Latin America: Same but different? - [link]
- Mohamed Abdiaziz Muse & Rodrigo Mena (2022) - How combatting illicit financial flows can prevent remittances from helping people during humanitarian crises: a closer look at Afghanistan - [link]
- Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann & Kristin Bergtora Sandvik (2022) - Humanitarismo digital en una guerra cinética: El caso de Ucrania - [link]
- Rodrigo Mena & Dorothea Hilhorst (2022) - The transition from development and disaster risk reduction to humanitarian relief: the case of Yemen during high-intensity conflict - Disasters, 46 (4), 1049-1074 - doi: 10.1111/disa.12521 - [link]
- Rodrigo Mena & Dorothea Hilhorst (2022) - Ethical considerations of disaster research in conflict-affected areas - Disaster Prevention and Management, 31 (3), 304-318 - doi: 10.1108/DPM-03-2021-0075 - [link]
- Dorothea Hilhorst, Samantha Melis, Rodrigo Mena & Roanne Van Voorst (2022) - Erratum: Accountability in Humanitarian Action (Refugee Survey Quarterly (2021) 40:4 (363-389) DOI: 10.1093/rsq/hdab015) - Refugee Survey Quarterly, 41 (2), 342-346 - doi: 10.1093/rsq/hdac001 - [link]
- Rodrigo Mena & Kristin Bergtora Sandvik (2022) - Digital Humanitarianism in a Kinetic War: Taking Stock of Ukraine - [link]
- Thea Hilhorst & Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann (2022) - What we don’t talk about when we talk about using sanctions to end the war in Ukraine - [link]
- Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann & Thea Hilhorst (2022) - Path dependency when prioritising disaster and humanitarian response under high levels of conflict: a qualitative case study in South Sudan - Journal of International Humanitarian Action, 7 (5), 1 - doi: 10.1186/s41018-021-00111-w
- Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann (22 August 2023) - World Humanitarian Day
- Rodrigo Mena & Kristen Cheney (13 January 2022) - Research ethics: what it is and why it matters
- Z (Zeynep) Kasli, M (Marieke) van Houte, R (Rodrigo) Mena Fluhmann, DJM (Thea) Hilhorst & HM (Helen) Hintjens (5 September 2021) - Don't let our university researchers and students suffocate in Afghanistan
- R (Rodrigo) Mena Fluhmann (11 April 2021) - Trenches & Tragedy – Reducing Disaster Risk In Conflict Zones
- Rodrigo Mena (11 April 2021) - Trenches & Tragedy – Reducing Disaster Risk In Conflict Zones
- Hyeonggeun Ji & Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann (2023) - Alternative humanitarian approaches to the intersection between climate change and displacement
- Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann (2022) - From addressing to ending needs: the promises and perils of linking humanitarian action and development agendas
- Rodrigo Mena (2022) - Armed Conflict as Disaster Risk Creator: Challenges and opportunities
- Liesa Sauerhammer & Rodrigo Mena (2022) - German Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction 2022
- Rodrigo Mena (2022) - 18th Development Dialogue Conference
- Rodrigo Mena (2022) - Unnaturalising disasters with care: #NoNaturalDisasters in places affected by (violent) conflict
- Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann (2022) - Taking Stock of Ukrain: Digital Humanitarianism in a Kinetic War
- Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann (2022) - “Building resilience to disasters in light of the SDG agenda: the role of cities and communities”.
- Rodrigo Mena & Annika Schmeding (2022) - Bargaining Access and Security during In Situ Research
- Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann & Fredric Ramel (2021) - Round table: Lost in Quantification? Armed Conflict Databases and Humanitarian Practices
- Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann (2022) - Best EGSH Teacher 2021
- Rodrigo Mena (2022) - Best Overall Project, Erasmus Impact Journey
- Rodrigo Mena (2022) - Best Pitch, Erasmus Impact Journey
- Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann (2013) - Environmental Graduate Award, University of Melbourne
- Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann (2011) - Becas Chile Scholarship for Master Studies
- Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann (2006) - Academic Research Scholarship for Excellence
International Institute of Social Studies
- Start date approval
- June 2023
- End date approval
- June 2026
- Place
- THE NETHERLANDS
- Description
- Lectures on Humanitarian Action
UN University for Peace
- Start date approval
- June 2023
- End date approval
- June 2026
- Place
- COSTA RICA
- Description
- Humanitarian Action lectures
4227 Humanitarian Action
- Year
- 2023
- Course Code
- ISS-4227-23-24
4152 Development Policies and Practice
- Year
- 2023
- Course Code
- ISS-4152-23-24
Major GDP
- Year
- 2023
- Course Code
- ISS-GDP-23-24
General Information
- Year
- 2023
- Course Code
- ISSGENERAL-23-24
Major GDP
- Year
- 2023
- Course Code
- ISS-GDP-22-23
3214 Understanding and Interpreting Qant
- Year
- 2023
- Course Code
- ISS-3214-23-24