Sergio Peña holds a doctoral degree in Urban Planning from Florida State University. Dr. Sergio Peña is an assistant professor in the Institute for Policy and Economic Development in the University of Texas at El Paso. He also teaches classes on public administration. Dr. Peña teaches courses on research methods, comparative public administration, urban politics and planning, and public policy. His research interests focus on planning, economics, and, more precisely, the role of institutions in the development and planning process. His recent publications are:

"Land Use in the El Paso del Norte Region: A Brief History "  In Edward Sadalla (ed.) Dynamics of Human Environmental Interactions.  SCERP Monograph Series, no.11; The U.S.- Mexican Border Environment. San Diego State University Press: 2005. Coauthor: Cesar Fuentes

"Recent Developments in Urban Marginality Along Mexico's Northern Border" Habitat International Journal. 29(2); June 2005. 

"Land Use Planning on the USA-Mexico Border: A Comparison of the Legal Framework" Journal of Borderland Studies. Vol.17, No.1 Spring 2002.

  "Comercio Transfronterizo y su Impacto en la Región de El Paso-Juárez: Una Propuesta de Financiamiento de la Planeación Binacional "  Frontera Norte: V.15 (29): pp. 185-200. Enero-Junio 2003.

“Public Participation and Water Supply: The Case of two communities in Chihuahua” Water International IWRA; Vol. 26:3; 390-399 (2001)

“Regulating Informal Markets: Informal Commerce in Mexico City” in John Cross & Alfonso Morales (ed.) Testing the Boundaries of the Informal Sector; International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy: Vol. 20:9-10; 37-67, (2000).