Laura Henao is a doctoral student in political science at Johns Hopkins University. She holds an MA in social sciences from The University of Chicago, and a BA and MA in economics from Universidad de Los Andes. Henao received a meritorious distinction for her thesis at the Universidad Nacional de Colombia, where she employed innovative mixed methods to explore the discourse of forgiveness in the Colombian conflict.
Her work has been utilized by international organizations, including the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), to inform peace and security policies. She has also been invited to join the UN-led steering group on Youth, Peace, and Security.
Henao’s research focuses on conflict in Latin America, criminal governance, peacebuilding, state formation, and policing. Recently, she has been collaborating with Dr. Consuelo Amat to understand the synergies between nonviolent action and peacebuilding in Latin America, as well as the interactions between social movements and criminal organizations.