Alba Rodríguez is completing her PhD at the University of California, Riverside (UCR). She graduated in psychology at the University of Valencia, Spain, and completed a master’s degree in yoga studies at Loyola Marymount University with the support of the Fulbright program. Alba has worked as a mentor, counselor, and yoga teacher in different settings, from hospitals to retreat centers. She currently works as a Teacher Assistant at the Religious Studies department of her home university. She is also the International Student Affairs Officer of the Graduate Student Association (GSA), where she serves as an advocate for international graduate students.
Through her life, Alba has engaged in several international projects concerning human rights, combining academic and social work. She has volunteered in different organizations, such us Psychologists Without Barriers, Venice Family Clinic, Friends of the Saharawi people, or Bona Gent- Friends People with Intellectual Disabilities.
Her research focuses on South Asian philosophical and religious traditions, with a focus on the continuities and discontinuities between traditional and contemporary forms of Jain ethical and meditation practices. She is currently studying and translating some of the writings of Yaśovijaya, the so-called last great philosopher of Jainism, a very influential figure who remains understudied.