Dr. Silvia Mata-Marin researches design from the perspective of social and environmental justice within migrant communities. After earning a licenciatura at the Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR), she went to the United States as a Fulbright Scholar, where she earned an M.A. (Maryland Institute College of Art) in Social Design and a Ph.D. (Carnegie Mellon University) in Design.
Besides teaching at Texas Tech, Mata-Marin has also taught at Carnegie Mellon University and currently teaches at the Schools of Fine Arts and Architecture at the Universidad de Costa Rica.