MARIA NARAYANI LASALA-BLANCO
Contact Information
Email: ml2362@columbia.edu
Phone: (917) 780-0677
Academic Appointments
Profesor Investigador (Assistant Professor), Division of International Affairs,
CIDE, Mexico City, April 2023 to the present
Assistant Professor, School of Politics and Global Studies & Center for Latino and American Politics Research
Arizona State University, Summer 2018 to 2023
Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science.
University of California, Santa Barbara, Summer 2015 to Spring 2018
Research Associate of the Broom Center for Demography. University of California, Santa Barbara. March 2017.
Research Associate, Harvard University, Fall 2014
Harvard Research Opinion Program, Harvard School of Public Health.
Assistant Adjunct Professor, Columbia University, Spring 2014
Department of Political Science.
Adjunct Instructor, New York University, Fall 2013
Steinhardt School of Education, Culture and Human Development.
Predoc, Survey Director & Project Manager, New York City Poverty Tracker Columbia University School of Social Work.
June 2012-Februay 2013
Education
Ph.D., Political Science, Columbia University, 2014.
Dissertation Title: God Made the Country and Man Made the Town: The Impact of Local Institutions on the
Integration of Immigrants in the United States.
Examining Committee: Robert Y Shapiro (Main Advisor), Alfred Stepan, Ira Katznelson, Fredrick Harris and Rodolfo de la Garza.
Major Field: American Politics Minor Field: Quantitative Methods
M.Phil. , Political Science, Columbia University, 2012
M.A. , Political Science, Columbia University, 2008
B.A. , International Relations, El Colegio de Mexico, 2003
Fields
Latino Politics, Immigration, Urban Politics, Research Methods, Public Opinion, Political Behavior, Race and
Ethnicity American Politics.
Publications and Manuscripts Under Review
(With Imanol Espina Baeza*) Special Issue Exploring Participatory Methodologies in Migration Research for Frontiers in Political
Science and Frontiers in Human Mobility. May 2026
(with Imanol Espina Baeza).Open Journal of Political Science, Special Issue, 16 April 2026
in the United States and Spain (with Laura Morales and Joan Carles Pamies*) American Behavioral Scientist, March 2022.
The Nature of Partisan Conflict in Public Opinion: Asymmetric or Symmetric?
(with Robert Y Shapiro and Joy Wilke*), American Politics Research, October 2020.
(with Robert Y Shapiro and Viviana Burgos), Electoral Studies, February 2017.
Poor weather doesn’t dissuade voting in noncompetitive elections – not even Hurricane Sandy did in 2012. (with Robert Y
Shapiro and Viviana Burgos).USAPP Blog LSE US Centre. March 2017.
Ebola in the United States — Public Reactions and Implications(with Gillian SteelFisher and Robert Blendon) , New England
Journal of Medicine, August 2015
Threats to Polio Eradication: A Polling Study of Caregivers in Higher Conflict Areas in Pakistan and Nigeria(with Gillian
SteelFisher et.al.), The Lancet Infectious Diseases, July 2015.
One Vote or Many Mexicos? Income, Heterogeneity, and the 2006–2012 Presidential Elections(with Jeronimo Cortina), Social
Science Quarterly. November 2015.
Income, Hardship and Health in NYC (with Irwin Garfinkel, Jane Walfogel & Christopher Wimer), Columbia Poplulaton
Research Center and RobinHood Foundation Inaugural Report. Spring 2014.
Summary Report Policy Dialogue Task Force Meeting on Migration. With Mathew Winters. 2009.
Funded Research and Awards
Title: "Inter City Cooperation Along the Mexico-United States Border, Roadblocks and Urgent Issues").
Role: Principal Investigator
Source: Southern Methodist University, Texas Mexico Center
Title: The Syrian Refugee Panel Study and European Cities & Neighborhoods Study. Summer 2016- Spring 2023.
Role: Principal Investigator
Sources:
Institute for Social Science Research Arizona State University (2021)
National Science Foundation (2017-2019)
National Science Foundation (2019-2021)
Skoll Center for Social Entrepreneurship (Oxford University) 2016-2017
Senate Grant (University of California, 2016)
Institute for Social, Behavioral and Economic Research Social Science Research Grants Program (UC, 2016)
Institute for Social, Behavioral and Economic Research SSR (UC, 2017)
Role: Co- Principal Investigator, Survey Director & Project Manager
Source: California Department of Water
Title: New York City Poverty Tracker with Irv Garfinkle (Principal Investigator), Julien Teitler, Chris Wimer and Jane Waldfogel)
Role: Survey Director & Project Manager (during recruitment and first wave & Inaugural Report, 2012-2014)
Source: Robinhood Foundation
Title: American Cities Survey
Role: Principal Investigator
Source: Institute for Research in African American Studies
2019 Adaljiza Sosa-Ridell Mentorship Award The recipient is recognized for their exceptional mentoring of Latina/o students and junior faculty
2005. Mexican Association of Rural Studies (AMER) National Award for Best Undergraduate Thesis.
Collaborator. Arizona Survey. Center for Latino and American Politics Research at Arizona State University. https://clapr.asu.edu/node/477. 2018 & 2020
Collaborator. COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) Ethmig Survey Data. At COST I have been part of the team leading the harmonization of all available survey data on immigrants and minorities in the United States and Europe. I was one of four scholars in the US invited to participate in this European led effort.
Collaborator. Collaborative Multiracial Post Election Survey. https://cmpsurvey.org/2016 & 2020.
Fellow & Research Associate of the Broom Center for Demography. University of California, Santa Barbara. March 2017-March 2018.
Fellow & Research Associate The Columbia Population Research Center. Columbia University 2013-2015.
Fellow IGERT Globalization and Development program at
Columbia University led by Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz 2007-2010
Title: UNICEF-Harvard Public Opinion Research Project Polling Collaboration with Robert Bendon and GillianSteelFisher (Principal Investigators)Role: Postdoctoral Fellow & Research Associate (2014-2015)
Ford Foundation and William Flora Hewlett Foundation Fellowship, 2005-2007
National Award for Best Undegraduate Dissertation. Mexican Association of
Rural Studies, 2003.
Teaching
Assistant Professor (PIT). CIDE. Undergraduate and Graduate Courses in Political Science: Quantitative Research Methods for Political Science (Introduction): Quantitative Methods; Honors Thesis Seminar; Research Design; American Politics and Public Opinion Research.
Assistant Professor. Arizona State University. Quantitative Research Methods for Political Science Public Opinion. Graduate Courses: Polimetrics I & II (603 & 604), Public Opinion.
Assistant Professor. University of California Santa Barbara. Undergraduate Courses: Quantitative Research Methods for Political Science, Challenges in Public Opinion Polling, Latino Politics. Graduate Courses: Immigration, Religion and Democracy; Public Opinion and Political Behavior.
Assistant Adjunct Professor, Columbia University. Department of Political Science
Course: Race, Ethnicity and Immigration in American Politics. 2014.
Adjunct Instructor, New York University. Steinhardt School of Education, Culture and Human Development. Course: Comparative Studies of Education: Quantitative Analysis. 2013.
Instructor (with Robert Shapiro) and Research Mentor, Columbia University. GSAS Office of Diversity-Leadership Alliance Summer Research Program. Course: Quantitative Methods for Political Science & Survey Research Methods. 2010-2013
Teaching Fellow at the Department of Political Science, Columbia University. Courses: Quantitative Methods for Political Science, Analysis of Political Data and Applied Econometrics (with Prof. Robert Y Shapiro). Introduction to American Politics (with Prof. Justin Phillips). Fall 2006 to 2011.
Teaching Fellow at the Workshop on Poverty, Development and Globalization (with Joseph Stiglitz. Manchester University, Summer 2009
Teaching Fellow at the Workshop on Poverty, Development and Globalization (with Joseph Stiglitz. Manchester University, Summer 2009
Diversity
Faculty Mentor of 17 DACA Dream Scholars at UCSB (2015-2017)
Faculty Mentor of 4 McNair Scholars at UCSB (2016-2017)
Graduate Student Mentor of the Leadership Alliance Early Identification Program (2010-2013).
Non-Academic Appointments
Researcher Los Angeles Times, Mexico City Bureau, 2005.
Political Liaison & Coordinator for the Program for the Mexican Communities Abroad of the Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs in San Francisco, CA, 2002- 2004
Head of the Press and Trade Office of the General Consulate of Mexico in San Francisco, CA, January 2001- July 2002