Dr. Sandra M. Rios Oyola

Sandra Rios Oyola is a sociologist who teaches and writes about memory, dignity, and transitional justice. She is passionate about creating a learning environment where students can think critically, engage in dialogue, and connect sociological theories to real-world challenges. She has taught a wide range of courses—including Introduction to Sociology, Gender Studies, Modern Sociology, Social Movements and Environmental Justice, and Social Memory and Historical Justice—and she enjoys guiding students from their first encounter with sociology to the design and completion of independent research projects.

Sandra’s teaching philosophy is shaped by the values of the liberal arts: interdisciplinarity, curiosity, and civic responsibility. Having taught in Colombia, the United States, the UK, Belgium, and the Netherlands, she draws on international experience to foster inclusive learning environments where students feel challenged and supported.

Sandra achieved her PhD in Sociology at the University of Aberdeen (UK) as part of the Leverhulme Programme Compromise after Conflict. Before joining UCR, she obtained an FNRS postdoctoral grant for her project on ‘How Transitional Justice Contributes to the Restoration of Victims’ Human Dignity in Colombia’. She was a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer at the Institute of Political Science, University of Louvain (Belgium).