Eduardo A. Gamarra

Professor of Politics and International Relations at Florida International University

Eduardo A. Gamarra is a tenured professor of political science in the Department of Politics and International Relations at Florida International University (FIU), where he has taught since 1986. From 1994 to 2007, he served as director of FIU’s Latin American and Caribbean Center (LACC), overseeing
research, policy initiatives, academic exchanges, and collaboration across the region. In 2016, he became the founding director of the Latino Public Opinion Forum at FIU’s Steven J. Green School of International and Public Affairs.

He earned his Ph.D. in political science from the University of Pittsburgh and has authored or co-edited twelve books along with nearly one hundred scholarly articles on Latin American and Caribbean affairs, focusing on democratization, security, illicit industries, political parties, campaigns, elections, and public opinion. His career includes extensive consulting and advisory roles for governments across the hemisphere—including the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Colombia, and Bolivia—and for multilateral
organizations such as the World Bank, UNDP, OAS, and the European Union. He has also acted as a consultant for the U.S. government, including USAID, the State Department, and the Department of Defense, and has testified before Congress on regional security and counternarcotics policy.

Beyond academia, Gamarra founded Integrated Communications and Research (ICR), a firm specializing in public opinion polling and strategic communications across Latin America and the Caribbean. His recent work involves surveys on the Latino vote in the United States, providing insights
into electoral behavior and policy preferences. A sought-after media commentator, he appears regularly on CNN, BBC, Univision, Telemundo, NPR, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and major outlets throughout Latin America.

He currently serves on academic and nonprofit boards in the Americas, including the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development, and is a member of Bolivia’s National Academy of Sciences.