Profile

Luiz Vilaca is a first-year PhD student at the University of Notre Dame and Kellogg PhD Fellow. Prior to joining the Sociology department at Notre Dame, he received his bachelors and masters in Political Science at the University of Brasilia, Brazil. 

His master’s thesis investigated how public prosecutors developed commitments to defend indigenous groups and other populations impacted by Belo Monte, a hydroelectric dam built on the Xingu river, north of Brazil.

Luiz’s research interests focus on the role of actors in the policy process. More specifically, he is interested in the impacts of the connections that bureaucrats establish with actors inside and outside the state on the implementation of public policies.