Viviana Fernandez is the Associate Director at the Human Rights Research and Education Centre (HRREC), University of Ottawa (uOttawa). Her role entails the overall management of human, financial, budgetary, physical and material resources of the Centre, maintaining a suitable and dynamic research environment for its members and partners, as well as the implementation of the Centre’ strategic plan, its communication and fundraising strategies.
Viviana has led the Scholars at Risk (SAR) uOttawa Program since 2014, including the hosting of scholars, a remote scholars program focussed on Venezuela, participation in the SAR monitoring project, as well as the organization of advocacy actions and launch of studies/reports. In this context, Viviana became a member of the Executive Committee of the Coalition for Academic Freedom in the Americas (CAFA) in 2021, a joint initiative created by HRREC, SAR and University of Monterrey (Mexico). She was previously elected to the SAR Canada Steering Committee from 2016 until 2022 (Chair in 2020-2022) and has been a member of SAR’s International Advisory Committee representing Canada (2016-2022) and representing CAFA since 2022.
In addition, Viviana is currently a member of the Executive Board of the Association of Human Rights Institutes (AHRI), and the Committee for the Joint Chair in Women’s Studies, Carleton University and uOttawa. She was a member of the Management Committee of the Interdisciplinary Research Laboratory on the Rights of the Child (IRLRC) at uOttawa from 2014 until 2025, and led the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign for Canada as a board member of Women in International Security Canada from 2015 until 2018.
Prior to taking up her position at the HRREC, Viviana joined uOttawa in 2004 as the Head of the Research Office at the Telfer School of Management. Due to work and/or studies, she has lived in Chile, France, the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.