Resources
From left, professors Javier Auyero, Gabriela Polit, Gloria González-López, Sônia Roncador, and Raúl Madrid
Affiliation
LLILAS faculty affiliates have access to a vibrant community of scholars engaged in cutting-edge research across a broad array of disciplines and subjects. LLILAS facilitates collaborative opportunities, enabling our affiliates to interact with distinguished speakers and network with faculty from diverse departments. Additionally, we offer our affiliates a wide range of funding opportunities to support publication projects, research, teaching, and professional development activities.
Current Calls (navigate to calls)
- Seed Grant for Interdisciplinary Research
- Faculty Course Release Program, 2025–26
- Tinker Visiting Professor Nomination, 2025–26
- Visiting Research Professor Program, 2025–26
- Mellon Faculty Research Grants, Summer 2025
- Publications Grant, 2025–26
Visit the LLILAS Calls page for more information.
Additionally, LLILAS provides funds to host visiting academics, organize scholarly public events or outreach projects, and develop research grants. Moreover, we raise the visibility of our affiliates within the academic community by promoting their scholarly achievements through our public channels.
We have a two-tiered affiliation system:
LLILAS Faculty Associates
Tenured and tenure-track faculty, lecturers, or other UT researchers who focus at least 25% of their teaching and research activities on Latin American and Caribbean issues. LLILAS Faculty Associates are eligible for the institute’s faculty funding competitions and to serve on governance committees.
LLILAS Faculty Affiliates
Tenured and tenure-track faculty, lecturers, and UT researchers who work on Latin American issues or who work in collaboration with Latin American institutions, but who spend less than 25% of their time on these topics. LLILAS Faculty Affiliates are eligible for the institute’s faculty funding competitions, excluding Faculty Research Leave, Faculty-Led Research Initiatives, and Mellon Travel funds.
UT faculty may apply for LLILAS affiliation by completing a questionnaire about their teaching and research activities. Please contact Paloma Diaz if you are interested in applying.
Event Support
LLILAS affiliated faculty can request partial funding support for lectures and conferences by filling out this request in Qualtrics. (Please notify Paloma Díaz at p.diaz@austin.utexas.edu after filling out a request.) The event should have substantial Latin American and/or Caribbean content, and LLILAS-affiliated faculty should be involved in organizing the event. Learn more below under Public Events.
Learn More
Photo Credit.
Resources for Affiliated Faculty
Teaching
Course Release Program
LLILAS offers Latin American Studies faculty the opportunity to engage in research and/or creative intellectual projects, by offering a course release for either the fall or spring semester. Awardees are expected to provide service to LLILAS by serving on ad hoc committees.
Eligibility: LLILAS associates (affiliated faculty devoting at least 25% of time teaching and/or researching Latin American content). See details in our last call.
Research and Travel
Mellon Summer Grants
An endowment from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation provides funding for faculty to carry out summer research on topics focusing on Latin America. Research funding may be used at any time between May 1 and August 15 of the academic year. Applications are reviewed early in the spring semester by a faculty committee appointed by the director.
Eligibility: LLILAS associates (affiliated faculty devoting at least 25% of time teaching and/or researching Latin American content). See details in our last call.
Seed Grants for Interdisciplinary Research in Latin American Studies
This program is designed to cultivate interdisciplinary research collaborations to address issues relevant to Latin America. The seed grant facilitates preliminary research for developing strong, externally fundable grant proposals and to foster synergies among faculty and graduate student research initiatives. We are interested in projects that will catalyze interdisciplinary research within UT Austin as well as collaborations with international peer institutions.
Eligibility: At least two UT Austin applicants are required for each proposal, consisting of two faculty members, or one faculty member and one student. Faculty at all ranks (tenure track and non-tenure track) may apply. Emerging career faculty are encouraged to apply. See details in our last call.
Argentine Studies Program Summer Field Research Award
This award covers partial travel costs of a field research trip for scholarly work related to Argentina. The trip must take place in the summer and the funds can be used for airfare, lodging, and/or per diem during the field research visit.
Eligibility: LLILAS affiliated faculty (associates and affiliates). See details in our last call.
LLILAS Travel Awards
LLILAS offers partial travel grants to faculty affiliates who present in person during the annual LASA Congress. This interdisciplinary congress organized by the Latin American Studies Association gathers thousands of Latin America specialists from around the globe. Priority is given to faculty who are presenters and serve in multiple roles during the congress (chair, presenter, discussant, etc.).
Eligibility: LLILAS affiliated faculty (associates and affiliates). See details in our last call.
La Huasteca region, Mexico. Photo: Zahira Arias.
Outreach Projects
Seed Grant Community Outreach and Engagement
This grant aims to establish and promote projects that foster partnerships between UT faculty, students, and local/international organizations, governments, or communities. The focus is on projects that have the potential for long-term sustainability. Preference is given to projects aligning with one of the following research areas: Environment, Culture, and Society; Trade, Culture, and Society; and Policy, Culture, and Society.
Eligibility: At least two applicants are required for each proposal, consisting of two faculty members, one faculty member, and one student from UT Austin. Faculty at all ranks (tenure track and non-tenure track) can apply. Emerging career faculty are encouraged to apply. See details in our last call.
From left, LLILAS Director Adela Pineda Franco, Tinker VP Beatriz Jaguaribe, Professor Lorraine Leu
Resources to Host Visiting Academics
Tinker Visiting Professor
The University of Texas at Austin is one of five major universities (with Chicago, Columbia, Stanford, and Wisconsin) to have a professorship endowed by the Edward Larocque Tinker Foundation. LLILAS affiliated faculty may nominate distinguished scholars and practitioners from Latin America for a one-semester appointment. The successful applicant will teach one course originating at LLILAS that can be cross-listed with other departments. The call for nominations and application is sent to LLILAS faculty in the fall semester. Applications are reviewed by a faculty committee appointed by the director.
Eligibility: LLILAS affiliated faculty (associates and affiliates) can nominate a candidate. See our last call.
Visiting Resource Professors (VRPs)
LLILAS affiliated faculty can nominate a Latin America–based research collaborator to visit UT for up to nine days during the fall or spring semester to lecture in either undergraduate or graduate classes, or to present a public lecture. The VRP selection process takes place early in the spring semester. To learn more about the program, visit Visiting Resource Professors.
Eligibility: LLILAS affiliated faculty (associates and affiliates) may nominate a candidate. See our last call.
To learn about other LLILAS Benson Visiting Programs, see this page.
Public Events
Lozano Long Conference
This is the institute's main annual conference. Preference is given to:
- Multidisciplinary proposals
- Proposals endorsed by additional UT faculty members who work on related issues and who could potentially participate in the conference
As the sponsor and organizer of the conference, LLILAS is involved from the initial planning stages and in the key programmatic, financial, and organizational decisions of the event, including: the selection of the keynote speaker, budget allocations, and publicity and general logistics. LLILAS works with the faculty committee from the beginning to make sure that the conference contributes to the overall mission of the institute.
Eligibility: LLILAS associates and affiliates. See our last call.
Austin Lecture on Contemporary Mexico
Each year, the LLILAS Mexico Center invites LLILAS faculty to nominate a prominent Mexican intellectual to lecture on a topic of his or her choosing related to current issues in Mexico. Nominations should include a brief description of the proposed speaker’s current affiliation, publications, research interests, and possible lecture topic. The Mexico Center takes care of the coordination of the visit and event.
Eligibility: LLILAS associates and affiliates. See our last call.
Mexico Center Scholarly Programs
The LLILAS Mexico Center hosts a competition for two to three major intellectual program activities on topics focused on Mexico or containing a substantial Mexico-related component. LLILAS faculty members across all disciplines can send proposals for conferences, workshops, lectures, and collaborations with visiting scholars. Proposals and program priorities are reviewed by the Mexico Center Faculty Committee.
Eligibility: LLILAS associates and affiliates. See our last call.
Brazil Center Scholarly Programs
The LLILAS Brazil Center welcomes proposals across all disciplines, and for events in all formats, including but not limited to colloquia, roundtables, workshops, lectures, and collaborations with visiting scholars. Proposals and program priorities are reviewed by the Brazil Center Faculty Committee.
Eligibility: LLILAS associates and affiliates. See our last call.
Argentine Studies Scholarly Programs
The Argentine Studies Program of LLILAS invites all LLILAS affiliated faculty to request co-sponsorships for events in all formats, including but not limited to conferences, workshops, lectures, and collaborations with visiting scholars. This award provides partial funding for public events focused on Argentina or that include Argentine scholars.
Eligibility: LLILAS associates and affiliates. See our last call.
Conferences and Lectures
LLILAS affiliated faculty can request partial funding support for lectures and conferences by filling out this request in Qualtrics. (Please notify Paloma Díaz at p.diaz@austin.utexas.edu after filling out a request.) The event should have substantial Latin American and/or Caribbean content, and LLILAS-affiliated faculty should be involved in organizing the event. Funding limits are $500 for lectures; conference funding will vary. The applicant should include information about his/her academic department contribution. Requests should be submitted at least 8 weeks in advance, and LLILAS co-sponsorship must be acknowledged in official conference posters, programs, etc.
Eligibility: LLILAS associates and affiliates
Deadline: First-come, first-served basis
For more information or to apply for these resources, contact Paloma Díaz, Assistant Director of Programs.
