Dr. Lilian A. Barria is a Professor of Political Science at Eastern Illinois University. She teaches courses in international relations, research methods and Asian politics. She is the faculty advisor for Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honor Society.

Dr. Barria's  research focuses on issues of justice and accountability for violations of human rights. She is particularly interested in the development of international and domestic institutions to adjudicate war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. Her field work has taken her to Argentina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Chile, Indonesia and The Netherlands. She is the co-editor (with Steven D. Roper) of The Development of Institutions of Human Rights: A Comparative Study (2010) and the co-author (with Steven D. Roper) of Designing Criminal Tribunals: Sovereignty and International Concerns in the Protection of Human Rights (2006). Her articles have appeared in various journals including the Journal of Conflict Resolution, The International Journal of Human Rights and the Journal of Human Rights.

Dr. Barria is the Book Review Editor for the journal Human Rights Review. She is a former President of the Human Rights Section of the American Political Science Association (APSA) and currently serves on the APSA Committee on the Status of Women in the Profession.