Deira Jiménez

Of Maya origin, she was born in Felipe Carrillo Puerto, Quintana Roo, Mexico. In 2008, she graduated with honors with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán (UADY). She earned a Master of Science degree with a specialization in Human Ecology from the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV). She later completed a Ph.D. in Theory and Research of Behavior at the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), Brazil. She also holds a postgraduate specialization in Education and New Technologies from the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO), Argentina.

She has been a speaker at various national and international conferences. Her research interests include Maya childhood studies, emotions and their socialization among the Maya, learning of ecological knowledge and traditional medicine, learning in Indigenous contexts, and intercultural mental health. She is co-author of three published books, as well as several book chapters and articles in national and international journals.

In 2025, she was awarded the “José Miguel Salazar” Prize by the Interamerican Society of Psychology for the best article published in the last two issues of the Interamerican Journal of Psychology for her work “Research on the Socialization of Emotions in Indigenous Communities of Latin America: Challenges and Opportunities.” That same year, she also received the State Prize for Humanities, Sciences, Technologies, and Innovation of Quintana Roo, Mexico, in the category of Humanistic Research.

She has actively promoted children’s interest in science, art, and reading in communities within the Maya region of Quintana Roo and has collaborated on projects fostering scientific vocations and science outreach. She is a member of the National System of Researchers, as well as the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology. She currently serves as a Professor-Researcher at the Universidad Intercultural Maya de Quintana Roo, Mexico.