About Us

Carlos Iglesias Vergara has over thirteen years of experience in research, lecturing, project management, grant ideation, monitoring and evaluation, and public service.

In 2010, after completing a master’s in international Peace Studies at the United Nations-mandated University for Peace, Dr. Iglesias Vergara started working for a counter-human trafficking project at UNDP in Thailand. He later returned to Colombia where he worked first at a human trafficking think-tank and later as a public servant, supervising EU-funded projects that supported peacebuilding and stabilisation efforts in conflict-stricken zones. After this, he was appointed as the tourism authority for one of Colombia’s most important destinations.

In 2018, Carlos decided to obtain a second Masters focusing on statistical modelling and analysis applied to crime data at The University of Manchester and later obtained a PhD in Criminology at this institution. His researched focused on human trafficking and Venezuelan migration. He then served as a full-time lecturer and researcher in Criminology at Lancaster University.

Dr. Iglesias Vergara has lived and worked in Colombia, Australia, China, Costa Rica, Thailand, the United Kingdom and now the United Arab Emirates where he works as an Assistant Researcher and Assistant Professor at Rabdan Academy. 

• PhD in Criminology from The University of Manchester
• Master of Research in Criminology and Social Statistics from The University of Manchester
• Master of Arts in International Peace Studies from The United Nations-mandated University for Peace
• Graduate Diploma in Linguistics and Applied Linguistics from The University of Melbourne
• Bachelor of Art is Linguistics from La Trobe University

• Criminological Theory
• Research Methods
• Quantitative Criminology
• Environmental Criminology
• GIS Crime Mapping
• Organised Crime

• Crime Data
• Spatio-temporal Analysis
• Statistical Modelling
• Victim Profiling
• Child Protection
• Transnational Organised Crime

Iglesias Vergara, Carlos. Illegally Crossing an Open Border: The Experiences of Venezuelan Women’s Journeys to Colombia through Unauthorised Routes. Critical Criminology. 20 August, 2024.

Iglesias Vergara, Carlos. ‘Book Review: White Supremacy, Racism and the Coloniality of Anti-Trafficking’ Journal of Human Trafficking, 14 June, 2023, 1–3.

Iglesias Vergara, Carlos, and Reka Solymosi. ‘Correlates of Client-Perpetrated Violence Against Female Sex Workers in Bogotá’. Violence Against Women, 8 December, 2022.

Iglesias, Carlos. ‘Risk Factors Related to Sexual Exploitation for a Cohort of Female Sex Workers in Bogotá’. In Sex Work, Labour and Relations, edited by Teela Sanders, Paul Ryan, and Kathryn McGarry. Palgrave Advances in Sex Work. London: Springer, 2022.