Fernanda has a Phd in Social Anthropology from the University of Texas at Austin, and prior to coming to Augsburg was Dean of Humanities at the Central American University (2015-2017) and since then has been part of the research team at the UCA. She has also worked on research and development projects with indigenous people in Nicaragua and Honduras for the United Nations Development Program and for Diakonía, a development organization of the Swedish churches.