Maria Montt Strabucchi

Vice President for International Affairs

Leads the Office of the Vice President for International Affairs and, as such, is the authority in charge of leading and executing the University's international relations policies.

Duties

Is the official in charge of leading and executing the University's international relations policies.

Some of her responsibilities include:

• Promote, manage and coordinate programs and projects that support the internationalization of the University.
• Connect and represent the University before international agencies and institutions of academic interest.
• Manage institutional agreements that lead to academic exchanges.
• Manage and administer undergraduate and graduate student exchange programs.
• Collaborate with the Office of the Vice President of Research to manage the double degree and diploma programs at the University.
• Support the strengthening of the internationalization of the academic, professional and administrative staff through competitive funds from the Office of the Provost, Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and Office of the Vice President for Research.
• Promote the University’s programs, especially international graduate programs to attract foreign students.

Career

María Montt holds a BA in History from UC Chile, an MA in Chinese Studies from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, and a PhD in Latin American Cultural Studies from the University of Manchester. 

She is an Associate Professor at the UC Chile Institute of History, a member of the UC Center for Asian Studies, and a member of the Executive Council of the Asia and the Americas section of the Latin American Studies Association (LASA). From 2008 to 2013, she served as Executive Director of UC Chile’s Confucius Institute. 

Her research explores cultural and diplomatic relations between China and Latin America, as well as broader connections between Asia and Latin America. She focuses on topics related to cultural history and public history, and her current work examines the perception, representation, and imagery of “the Chinese” and “Asia” in the region. She also studies the Chinese diaspora and Asian communities in Latin America, along with travel narratives and travelers to China from an interdisciplinary perspective.

She has served as Vice President for International Affairs since 2025.