Welcome!

I am a Doctoral Researcher at the RTG DYNAMICS graduate program at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, jointly coordinated with the Hertie School of Governance. My research investigates how social networks mediate the relationship between institutions, civil society, life events, and political attitudes. Using comparative and longitudinal data, I explore how inequality and welfare regimes shape the structure and composition of individuals’ personal networks—and, in turn, how these networks influence interpersonal trust and broader political orientations.

Between March and April 2025, I was a visiting researcher at the Swedish Institute for Social Research (SOFI) at Stockholm University, specifically within the Social Policy Unit. During this stay, I deepened my understanding of comparative welfare state research and the use of large-scale administrative data for social science inquiry.

I hold a Master’s and Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and the University of Chile respectively. Prior to my doctoral studies, I was Technical Coordinator of the Chilean Longitudinal Social Survey (ELSOC) at the Center for Social Conflict and Cohesion Studies (COES), where I specialized in survey design, panel data, and network analysis.

My academic work lies at the intersection of social stratification, social networks, and political behavior. I use quantitative and computational methods—including multilevel models, social network analysis, and experiments—to study social cohesion, distributive justice, and political attitudes in Latin America and beyond.

On this website, you can find my publications, download my CV, and explore my research and teaching experience. Feel free to get in touch if you’d like to connect or collaborate.

Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications

Friehs, M.-T., Plaza, A., Schäfer, S. J., Christ, O., & González, R. (2025).
Does intergroup contact affect political attitudes and behaviours?
Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 35:e70105.

Rozas-Bugueño, J., Plaza, A., Retamales, M., Cortinez, S., Carrasco, P., & Venegas, M. (2022).
Where does social mobilization grow? An analysis of the new protesters of the Chilean social mobilization of October 2019.
Revista Chilena de Derecho y Ciencia Política, 13(2), 127–158.

González, R., Chayinska, M., Plaza, A., Bargsted, M., & Miranda, D. (2022).
A longitudinal examination of the factors that facilitate and hinder support for conservative and progressive social movements.
European Journal of Social Psychology, 52, 1031–1046.

Plaza, A., Cantillán, R., Beck, G., & Espinoza, V. (2022).
Together, but not mixed: Homophily in Mapuche and non-Mapuche intergroup relations.
Revista de Sociología, 37(1).

Bargsted, M., Espinoza, V., & Plaza, A. (2020).
Patterns of Homophily in Chile.
Papers. Revista de Sociologia, 105(4), 583–612.

👉 For a full list of working papers, book chapters, and policy reports, see my CV.