Mariana Eleonora Mora Múnera
Thesis title: Violence in private arms: Private Military and Security Companies and the Erosion of State Legitimacy
PhD supervisors:
Background
Mariana is a PhD Candidate in Law at the University of Edinburgh, researching crimes committed or facilitated by Private Military and Security Companies, the contexts in which these crimes have been committed, and the challenges they pose to states' legitimacy. At the University of Edinburgh, she has worked as a Legal Research Coordinator for the Edinburgh International Justice Initiative and as a Content Editor for the Contemporary Challenges Journal. She is the President of the Colombian Society (2026-2027) and will be working as an Ordinary Tutor.
Before starting her PhD, Mariana did her MPhil in Criminology at the University of Cambridge (Distinction) and worked over ten years as an advisor, legal clerk and researcher in different Colombian public institutions, such as the Constitutional Court, the Special Jurisdiction for Peace, the Secretary of Security and Justice of Bogotá, and the Ministry of Justice, among others.
She specialises in human rights, state and corporate violence, and governance, and has extensive experience in interdisciplinary academic research on state institutions, legitimacy, and access to justice, as well as in formulating solutions to complex issues in criminal law, public policy, and the judiciary.
Qualifications
2024. MPhil in Criminology - University of Cambridge, UK (Distinction)
2017. Specialist in Government - Universidad Externado de Colombia
2015. Bachelor of Law - Universidad de los Andes, Colombia
2013. Industrial Engineer - Universidad de los Andes, Colombia
Responsibilities & affiliations
President of the Colombian Society (2026-2027)
Undergraduate teaching
SPS - Theories of International Relations
Law School - Introduction to Criminal Justice