Biography
I am an Assistant Professor of Disasters and Humanitarian Studies, also serving as the Deputy Director of the Humanitarian Studies Centre (HSC) and Coordinator of the Safety and Security Research Initiative (SSRi). With almost twenty years of experience, my focus has been on humanitarian action, disaster governance, climate change, and environmental sociology, particularly in conflict-affected and vulnerable areas. I teach courses covering humanitarian action and disaster risk reduction governance, research methodology, quantitative and mixed methods, research ethics, and research fieldwork safety and security.
At 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 delves into the evolving dynamics of humanitarian governance, with special attention to civil society actors and crisis-affected populations. Additionally, I contribute to the coordination of the Observatorio Humanitario de América Latina y el Caribe (OH-LAC).
Within ISS, I'm also involved as the Convenor for the Governance and Development Policy Major (GDP) within the Master of Arts in Development Studies program. I serve as a member of the ISS Research Ethics Committee and lead the Safety and Security for Fieldwork/In-situ Research course (S&S) at CERES, the Dutch Research School for International Development. Moreover, I hold a visiting professorship at the UN University for Peace in Costa Rica.
My engagement also spans across other academic, societal impact, and practice-oriented activities. I am a Board Member of the International Humanitarian Studies Association (IHSA) and the Expertise Centre Humanitarian Communication (HumCom). Additionally, I contribute as a reviewer for leading journals and actively participate in research, monitoring, evaluation, and advisory consultancy work. I collaborate with various organizations such as 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.
Alongside academic outputs such as journal articles and book chapters, I value writing policy and research briefs, blog posts, and finding ways to make science accessible to everyone. In this regard, I recently won the Erasmus Impact Journey Prize, the NEEDS 2023 Disaster Research Photography Prize, and regularly engage in consultancy and advisory roles with multiple organisations.
Before my current roles, my career spanned positions as a researcher, project manager, and consultant with local and international NGOs, the United Nations, governmental organizations, and the private sector. I have also held academic roles and visiting professorships at universities globally. Furthermore, I've assumed leadership roles in humanitarian aid organizations, coordinated disaster responses, and conducted fieldwork in numerous conflict zones, crisis situations, and disaster-prone regions, including 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, The Netherlands, an MA in Environmental Studies from the University of Melbourne, Australia, and a BA in Sociology and Political Science from A. Hurtado University, Chile. Additionally, I hold diplomas in Quantitative Multivariable Analysis, Environmental Impact Assessment, Public Policy, and Sustainable Development. I've received certifications from reputable institutions such as the United Nations, Red Cross, Centre for Safety and Development, GCORE, and RedR, enhancing my experience and training in conducting fieldwork in challenging, complex, and remote areas.
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MA and PhD Supervision:
An important part of my work is to support and guide Master's students and PhD researchers with their theses and research projects. I am currently open to considering new PhD candidates whose research interests align with my ongoing research agenda.
Current PhD researchers:
- Gabriela Villacis Izquierdo, "Feminist approaches to humanitarian governance in Colombia: Incorporating affected populations as humanitarian agents"
- Hyeonggeun Ji, "Emerging humanitarian responses to climate-related displacement in Bangladesh: Knowledge processes and political dynamics"
- Delu Lusambya, "Humanitarian governance in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC): Community-driven, accountability, and advocacy in Humanitarian Actions"
- Alemayehu Begna Hordofa, "Humanitarian governance in Ethiopia: The use of human rights-based approach to address internal displacement challenges"
- Lisa Peterson, "Humanitarian Localization from a Local Perspective"
PS: PhD project titles are just referential; projects change, evolve and adjust.
International Institute of Social Studies
- mena@iss.nl
More information
Work
- Juliana Poveda-Clavijo & Rodrigo Mena (2024) - A Policy Analysis of the Temporary Protection Statute for Venezuelans in Colombia: Normalising Exceptionality using Humanitarian Discourses - Refugee Survey Quarterly, 00 (07), 1-23 - doi: 10.1093/rsq/hdae007
- Summer Brown, Rodrigo Mena & Sylvia Brown (2024) - The peace dilemma in the triple nexus: challenges and opportunities for the humanitarian–development–peace approach - Development in Practice, 34 (5), 1-17 - doi: 10.1080/09614524.2024.2334774 - [link]
- Nicolás Caso, Dorothea Hilhorst, Rodrigo Mena & Elissaios Papyrakis (2024) - Does disaster contribute to armed conflict?: A quantitative analysis of disaster–conflict co-occurrence between 1990 and 2017 - International Journal of Development Issues, 23 (1), 1-23 - doi: 10.1108/IJDI-01-2023-0015 - [link]
- Rodrigo Mena, David Napier, Anna-Maria Volkmman, Anu Puri, Rania Elessawi & Rebecca Smith (2024) - Social Sciences for Community Engagement in Humanitarian Action: Vision Paper on the Role of Community Engagement to attaining Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) and Social and Behaviour Change (SBC) In Humanitarian Outcomes - [link]
- Oscar A. Gómez, Simone Lucatello & Rodrigo Mena (2024) - The Latin American experience: inequality’s role in shaping humanitarianism - [link]
- Rodrigo Mena (2023) - Between instrumentalisation, depoliticisation, and legitimation of humanitarian action in Venezuela - doi: 10.4324/9781003316541 - [link]
- Mahdi Munadi & Rodrigo Mena (2023) - Dilemmas of humanitarian negotiations with the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan - doi: 10.4324/9781003316541 - [link]
- 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]
- 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 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
- Gabriela Villacis Izquierdo, Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann & Juan Ricardo Aparicio (2023) - International Humanitarian Studies Association (IHSA) Conference 2023 (Organiser)
Activity: Organising and contributing to an event › Academic - Hyeonggeun Ji & Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann (2023) - Alternative humanitarian approaches to the intersection between climate change and displacement (Speaker)
Activity: Oral presentation › Academic - Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann (2023) - NEEDS Conference (Participant)
Activity: Organising and contributing to an event › Academic - Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann (2022) - From addressing to ending needs: the promises and perils of linking humanitarian action and development agendas (Speaker)
Activity: Oral presentation › Academic - Rodrigo Mena (2022) - Armed Conflict as Disaster Risk Creator: Challenges and opportunities (Speaker)
Activity: Oral presentation › Academic - Liesa Sauerhammer & Rodrigo Mena (2022) - German Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction 2022 (Organiser)
Activity: Organising and contributing to an event › Academic - Rodrigo Mena (2022) - 18th Development Dialogue Conference (Chair)
Activity: Organising and contributing to an event › Academic - Rodrigo Mena (2022) - Unnaturalising disasters with care: #NoNaturalDisasters in places affected by (violent) conflict (Invited speaker)
Activity: Invited talk › Academic - Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann (2022) - Taking Stock of Ukrain: Digital Humanitarianism in a Kinetic War (Speaker)
Activity: Invited talk › Academic - Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann (2022) - “Building resilience to disasters in light of the SDG agenda: the role of cities and communities”. (Speaker)
Activity: Invited talk › Academic - Rodrigo Mena & Annika Schmeding (2022) - Bargaining Access and Security during In Situ Research (Speaker)
Activity: Invited talk › Academic - Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann & Fredric Ramel (2021) - Round table: Lost in Quantification? Armed Conflict Databases and Humanitarian Practices (Speaker)
Activity: Oral presentation › Academic - Dorothea Hilhorst, Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann, Samantha Melis & Roanne van Voorst (2021) - Accountability in Humanitarian Action (Speaker)
Activity: Oral presentation › Academic - Oscar Gómez, Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann & Simone Lucatello (2021) - Can inequality close the door to humanitarianism? The Latin American experience (Speaker)
Activity: Oral presentation › Academic - Hyeonggeun Ji & Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann (2021) - Climate-Related Displacement, (Internal) Migration and Humanitarian Action (Speaker)
Activity: Oral presentation › Academic - Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann, Dorothea Hilhorst & Marta Welander (2021) - Round table: Safety and Security for University Staff, Students and Research Participants (Speaker)
Activity: Oral presentation › Academic - Rodrigo Mena Fluhmann & Dorothea Hilhorst (2021) - Ethical considerations of disaster research in conflict-affected areas (Speaker)
Activity: Oral presentation › Academic
- Rodrigo Mena (2023) - Disaster Research Photography: NEEDS 2023
- 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
Major GDP
- Year
- 2024
- Course Code
- ISS-GDP-24-25
General Information
- Year
- 2024
- Course Code
- ISSGENERAL-24-25
4152 Development Policies as Practices
- Year
- 2024
- Course Code
- ISS-4152-24-25
3214 Understanding and Interpreting Quan
- Year
- 2024
- Course Code
- ISS-3214-24-25
3105 Research Paper Preparation
- Year
- 2024
- Course Code
- ISS-3105-24-25
4227 Humanitarian Action
- Year
- 2024
- Course Code
- ISS-4227-24-25