During 2025, Universidad de los Andes celebrated the successful defense of 20 doctoral theses across five academic programs. From technological and biomedical solutions, to reflections on democracy, law, and culture, these theses stand as examples of rigorous research in the service of society.
The doctoral theses defended during 2025 reflect not only the thematic diversity of the doctoral programs at Universidad de los Andes, but also the steady progress in consolidating its doctoral system.
"In a national and international context marked by greater demands in productivity, funding, and completion times, UANDES faces the challenge of continuing to strengthen quality doctoral pathways, with clear academic standards and conditions that enable timely and sustainable graduation," says says María del Valle Barrera, Deputy Director of Doctoral Studies at UANDES.
Among the 20 theses defended during the year, researchers from different nationalities — including Colombia, Ecuador, Italy, and Chile — were recognized.
The research themes developed placed special emphasis on addressing the concerns society faces today, such as the use of technologies, data, and artificial intelligence in support of decision-making — specifically in theses on prescriptive analytics and cost-effectiveness (Armando Meza Angulo, Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences); the use of AI in decision-making in broadcast television (Alejandro Reid, Ph.D. in Communication), reinforcement learning and investment portfolios (Milena Bonacic, Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences); and earthquake engineering and uncertainty management (Matias Birrel, Ph.D. in Engineering Sciences).
In the area of health, biomedicine, and innovation, research focused on nanobubbles and hypoxic stress (Sergio Viafara, Ph.D. in Biomedicine); extracellular vesicles and arthritis (Eliana Lara, Ph.D. in Biomedicine); and the relationship between oral health, the microbiota and pregnancy (María José Bendek, Ph.D. in Biomedicine).
Democracy, Dignity, and Society: The Ideas That Shaped Doctoral Research in 2025
Other topics that were developed in doctoral research during 2025 reflect the priority areas of Universidad de los Andes in the fields of law, social sciences, and humanities.
These included works that investigated ownership, expropriation, and reparation (Patricio Ponce and Maria Karina Guggiana, Doctorate in Law); the legal status of migration (Mayerlin Matheus, Doctorate in Law); human dignity and constitutional jurisprudence (Marcelo OvallePh.D.); and the judicial defense of the tax authorities (Alejandro Preuss, Ph.D. in Law).
In the area of culture and communication, research adressed press, accountability, and journalism (Constanza Hormazábal and Rocío Gómez, Ph.D. in Communication); feminism and the evangelical world (Alejandra RiverosPh.D. in Communication); as well as political philosophy, myth, and modern thought (Juan Andrés González, Matías Quer, Sebastián Guerra, Filippo Salimbeni and Joaquín Celis, all from the Doctorate in Philosophy).
Regarding the consolidation of the doctoral programs at UANDES, Barrera noted: "The sustained increase in doctoral graduations is a sign of the growing maturity of Universidad de los Andes doctoral programs."“.
"Maintaining adequate rates of timely graduation is one of the main challenges for doctoral programs today, especially in an increasingly competitive funding context. This requires proper alignment between the curricula, the academic support, and the instruments supporting doctoral training," concluded the Deputy Director of Doctoral Studies.