She holds a PhD in Anthropology from Freie Universität Berlin. Her dissertation (summa cum laude) “Being and Becoming: Imagination, Memory, and Violence in the Southern Philippines,” provides ethnographic insights into the lives of Moros, specifically Maguindanaon adherents of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), who have lived through violence and the liminality of uncertain peace in the Cotabato region. Prior to moving to Berlin for her PhD studies, Rosa taught courses in anthropology at the University of the Philippines Diliman and Manila campuses from 2005 to 2011. She received her BA and MA degrees in anthropology at the University of the Philippines Diliman. Her research interests include violence, peace-making, subjectivity, memory, imagination, emotions, and temporality.