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Mexican scholars to advance semiconductor and renewable energy research at Arizona State University
Year-long collaboration will deliver policy and workforce strategies to boost cross-border competitiveness in the Sonora–Arizona region
Tempe, Ariz., September, 30, 2025 --- Two distinguished researchers from Mexico have joined Arizona State University’s School of Transborder Studies for a year-long residency to advance high-impact projects in the semiconductor industry and renewable energy governance in the Sonora–Arizona region.
Edna María Villarreal Peralta, economist at the Universidad de Sonora and Editor-in-Chief of Vértice Universitario journal, holds a Ph.D. in Applied Economics from the Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona.
Her research focuses on building specialized human talent in the cross-border semiconductor ecosystem—a driver of innovation, technological sovereignty, and regional competitiveness.
She will develop strategic recommendations to align education, public policy, and cross-border cooperation with industry needs, aiming to strengthen workforce readiness, attract investment, and promote sustainable binational integration.
Humberto García Jiménez, economist at El Colegio de la Frontera Norte’s Nogales Unit and Editor-in-Chief of Frontera Norte journal, earned his Ph.D. in Social Sciences (Sociology) from El Colegio de México.
With more than 25 years of experience in foreign direct investment, global value chains, labor markets, innovation studies, and living wage analysis, García Jiménez will design a Sustainable Cross-Border Energy Governance (GEST) framework.
His work will focus on enabling renewable electricity exports, enhancing energy security, attracting green investment, and bolstering the region’s high-tech competitiveness.
Villarreal Peralta and García Jiménez will conduct their research at ASU through next summer thanks to funding from the 2025 Sabbatical Stays Linked to the Consolidation of Research Groups Program of Mexico’s Ministry of Science, Humanities, Technology, and Innovation.
The School of Transborder Studies is a unit of The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and ranks #3 in social sciences research.
For interviews with our distinguished visiting scholars, please contact Gaby Kemp at [email protected].