With a bachelor’s degree in sociology from Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), a master’s in Latin American studies from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), and on leave from a position as a contract researcher in the Sociology Department at Universidad de Granada, Josefa Sánchez Contreras is currently a visiting scholar at the Centre of Latin American Studies, University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.
In her academic work, Sánchez Contreras collaborates on various energy transition projects. She coauthored the book, Energy Colonialism: Sacrifice Zones for Energy Transition in Spain, Mexico, Norway and Western Sahara (Colonialismo energético: territorios de sacrificio para la transición energética en España, México, Noruega y el Sahara Occidental) (Icaira, 2023) and is the coordinator for the book Ever More Mokayas, The Thoughts and Feelings of Contemporary Zoques (Cada vez más Mökayas, pensares y sentires de zoques contemporáneos) (Ce-Acatl, 2022). She is also part of the Matza Collective, a group of Zoque indigenous people who defend the rivers and territory in the Chimalapas jungle, Oaxaca, Mexico.