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Dr. Carlos Ponce is an Associate Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice and a Faculty Associate at the Centre for Public Safety and Criminal Justice Research.

Before joining UFV, Carlos worked in various roles connected to applied research, public policy, and criminal justice in El Salvador.

• PhD, Criminology, Simon Fraser University

• MA, Criminology, Indiana State University

• BS, Economics and Business, Escuela Superior de Economía y Negocios

At UFV, Carlos teaches a range of courses, from introductory and criminological theory offerings to more specialized courses on crime and intelligence analysis, technology and crime, and illicit networks. He has developed several courses focused on spatial and network perspectives on crime and contributes to efforts to open and strengthen academic pathways for students interested in pursuing careers in crime and intelligence analysis

Carlos’s work focuses on crime and illicit organizations in Central America, including extortion, ransom kidnapping, criminal governance, and how crime groups react and adapt to law enforcement disruption. He uses both quantitative and qualitative approaches to study crime patterns and group behaviour.

His research has been published in peer-reviewed journals including the British Journal of Criminology, International Journal of Drug Policy, Global Crime, Crime Science, and Security Journal, as well as in research reports for government and non-profit organizations. Carlos presents regularly at academic conferences and engages in public scholarship to help inform discussions on crime and criminal justice issues.