Asking About Violence: Ethics and Methodology of Measuring Exposure to Violence
Blair, G., Young, L. E., Littman, R., & Granados, D. S. (work in progress). "Asking About Violence: Ethics and Methodology of Measuring Exposure to Violence."
CV
A PDF version of my CV is available here.
Education
- Ph.D. in Political Science, University of California, Los Angeles (in progress)
- B.A. in Economics, Universidad de los Andes, 2020
- Relevant coursework: Machine Learning and Econometrics, Advanced Macroeconomics, Political Economy of Development, Armed Conflict: Dynamics and Consequences
- B.A. in Political Science, Universidad de los Andes, 2021
- Relevant coursework: Political Parties and Elections, Methodological Foundations (Mixed Methods), Peace-building, Business and Politics
- Minor in Development Studies, Universidad de los Andes, 2021
- Minor in German Language and Culture, Universidad de los Andes, 2021
Research experience
- Research Manager & Co-author, Asking About Violence project (Feb. 2023 – Present)
- PIs: Graeme Blair (UCLA), Lauren E. Young (UC Davis), Rebecca Littman (University of Illinois, Chicago)
- Topics: political violence, research ethics, mental health
- Shaped research methodology as a local expert, contributing to sampling protocols, theoretical frameworks, and study design; developed and implemented harm-mitigation and risk-management protocols for participant and staff safety
- Led the design and programming of contact protocols and survey instruments in SurveyCTO for a 3,000+ participant survey experiment; ran cognitive probing to refine translated questionnaires for Colombia and Mexico; supported IRB management
- Led partner negotiations with data collection firms, oversaw internal/external communications, and translated goals into timelines for a team of 6+ investigators; helped oversee budget, grants, and contracting
- Managed in-person data collection across urban and rural areas for a ~3,200-person survey experiment on sensitive topics; designed and led field-team training and data-quality monitoring
- Research Assistant for Prof. James A. Robinson, María Angélica Bautista, and Juan Sebastián Galán (Aug. 2020 – Jul. 2021)
- University of Chicago and Universidad de los Andes
- Project: “Fears and Dreams: Understanding the Non-Institutional Sources of State Strategy”
- Cleaned and structured data for network analysis; built databases from Fiscalía and Justicia y Paz documents; prepared briefings and statistical analysis
- Research Assistant for Ana María Montoya, Duke University (May 2018 – Jan. 2021)
- Topics: political economy, land restitution, gender
- Provided methodological assistance and statistical analysis for working papers; cleaned and structured administrative and survey data; supported field logistics (interviews, focus groups, surveys); built databases via text mining and text analysis
- Framed the gender perspective and structured the winning research proposal for the 2018 Fundación WWB Colombia Call for PhD Projects
- Research Assistant for Prof. Angelika Rettberg, Universidad de los Andes (Mar. – Apr. 2020)
- Project: “Violence in Latin America Today: Varieties and Impacts”
- Literature review, data collection and visualization, article writing and editing
- Research Assistant for Prof. Jason D. Todd, Duke University (Feb. – Jun. 2018)
- Built and structured a database from U.S. Supreme Court rulings
- Research Assistant for Prof. Juan Sebastián Galán, Universidad de los Andes (Dec. 2017 – Feb. 2018)
- Project: “Tied to the Land? Intergenerational Mobility and Agrarian Reform in Colombia”
- Built a database from INCORA (National Institute for Colombian Agrarian Reform) documents; conducted statistical and data analysis
Industry experience
- Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), Colombia
- Research Associate (Jan. – Feb. 2023); Research Analyst (Jun. 2021 – Jan. 2023); Research Intern (Jan. – Jun. 2021)
- Field: Planned, trained, supervised, and coordinated in-person and phone data collection; designed and tested questionnaires for migrant and internally displaced populations (adults and children); designed contact strategies for hard-to-reach populations; co-led in-depth interviews and supported workshops and focus groups with migrant organizations
- Technical: Programmed web, phone, and in-person surveys in SurveyCTO; designed and monitored WhatsApp surveys; built data-flow, quality-check, and monitoring systems; cleaned and analyzed survey data to inform decision-making during data collection
- Project management: Set timelines under budget and time constraints; translated PI and partner needs into objectives and activities; built systems to track progress and mitigate risks
- Selected projects: Impact of Temporary Working and Residence Permits for Migrants in Colombia; Evaluation of a Sesame “Play to Learn” Mass Media Program in Colombia; Youth Music and Entrepreneurship Training in Colombia; ConsultIPA, a pro-bono Monitoring & Evaluation consultancy initiative
Awards and fellowships
- Division of Graduate Education Award (university-wide), University of California, Los Angeles, 2024
Skills
- Programming & tools: Stata, R, ArcGIS, Python, LaTeX
- Data collection: SurveyCTO, Twilio (WhatsApp surveys), machine learning and data-mining methods
- Languages: Spanish (native), English (advanced), German (intermediate)
Publications
ConsultIPA: IPA Colombia's Pro-Bono Initiative to Help Small Organizations Implement a Monitoring and Evaluation Plan
Granados, D. S., Reyes, C., & Tamayo, A. "ConsultIPA: IPA Colombia's Pro-Bono Initiative to Help Small Organizations Implement a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Plan." Innovations for Poverty Action.
WhatsApp Surveys: An Innovative and Low-Cost Solution for Remote Data Collection
Granados, D. S., Rivera, A., & Vargas, L. "WhatsApp Surveys: An Innovative and Low-Cost Solution for Remote Data Collection." Innovations for Poverty Action.
Gender and Land Restitution in Colombia
Montoya, A. M., & Granados, D. S. (2022). "Gender and Land Restitution in Colombia." Working paper.
Political Violence and the Dispute of Desirable Territories
Granados, D. S. (2020). "Political Violence and the Dispute of Desirable Territories." Research proposal.
Political Concentration and its Effect on Land Outcomes for Rural Women in Colombia
Granados, D. S. (2019). "Political Concentration and its Effect on Land Outcomes for Rural Women in Colombia." Research proposal.