Colombian scientist Laura González García has been selected for the 2026 class of the Pew Latin American Fellows Program in the Biomedical Sciences, a competitive postdoctoral fellowship supporting early-career researchers from Latin America.

González García is one of ten scientists selected for this year’s cohort and one of two fellows representing Colombia. The program, established by The Pew Charitable Trusts, provides two years of research funding for fellows to conduct research in United States laboratories under the mentorship of established scientists.

“If we know which RNAs have DHU and can associate that modification with a particular context, like cancer or crop performance, we can use them as potential biomarkers.”
— Laura González García, 2026 Pew Latin American Fellow, Boyce Thompson Institute

The 2026 fellows represent seven Latin American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay. According to Pew, the program has supported more than three decades of biomedical research development, with nearly 70% of previous fellows going on to establish laboratories or research programs in Latin America.

“For 35 years, Pew has proudly supported talented scientists from Latin America as they pursue cutting-edge research in US labs,” said Donna Frisby-Greenwood, Pew’s senior vice president for Philadelphia and scientific advancement. “This year, we’re excited to support 10 new fellows whose research will accelerate global health and carry on this legacy of impactful biomedical research.”

González García is a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of Andrew D. L. Nelson at the Boyce Thompson Institute, an independent research institute located on the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, New York.

Her Pew-funded project focuses on epitranscriptomics, an emerging field that studies chemical modifications added to RNA molecules after transcription. These modifications can influence how RNA functions without changing the underlying DNA sequence.

The research centers on dihydrouridine (DHU), a relatively understudied RNA modification, and the enzymes responsible for creating it, known as dihydrouridine synthases (DUS proteins). While these molecules are conserved across plants, animals, and humans, scientists still have limited understanding of their broader biological roles.

In humans, changes in DUS activity have been associated with certain cancers, while in plants, the modification has been linked to stress responses and photosynthetic performance.

A major challenge in studying DHU has been the difficulty of identifying where the modification appears within RNA. González García plans to address this using Nanopore sequencing, a technology that can detect molecular changes by measuring electrical signals as RNA passes through microscopic pores.

Her project will combine experimental data with machine learning to develop a model capable of identifying DHU modifications across RNA sequences. Although the initial research is being conducted using the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, González García said the approach could eventually be adapted to other organisms, including humans.

The fellowship builds on González García’s background in computational biology and genomics. She earned dual doctorates in computer engineering and evolutionary biology from Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá and Université de Montpellier in France.

Her previous research has focused on comparative and computational genomics, including studies of Leishmania parasite genomes, genome-analysis software development through NGSEP, methods for annotating transposable elements, and research into transposable-element dynamics in lima bean.

The Pew fellowship represents a transition from her previous DNA-focused research toward RNA biology, with applications that could contribute to future advances in medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology.

Following her postdoctoral training, González García plans to establish her own laboratory at a Latin American research institution, aligning with Pew’s objective of strengthening scientific capacity across the region.

During the trip, Varadkar met with Colombian President Ivan Duque, and accompanied by Irish Ambassador to Colombia, Fiona Nic Dhonnacha, reached several agreements on security, education, and commerce.

Irish companies such as Smurfit Kappa, Planet Payment, Mainstream Renewable, and Irelandia Aviation already have a strong presence in Colombia.

“Colombia is a key partner for Ireland in this region. The visit of Deputy Prime Minister Varadkar confirms the interest in deepening our political and economic relations with Colombia, and takes place in the context of the recent launch of our Irish Strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean,” said Ambassador Nic Dhonnacha. ““Both countries are experiencing a very positive post-pandemic economic recovery, and this visit will allow us to explore more opportunities for trade and investment in the future.”

The Colombia-Ireland Business Network Launched

During the visit, the two countries launched a bilateral business network, with 20 initial corporate participants from both countries, in a ceremony attended by Vradkar (above left), Colombian Vice President and Foreign Minister Marta Lucia Ramirez (above center), and the Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, María Ximena Lombana (above right).

“Today we had the opportunity to launch a network uniting Irish companies that are doing business here in Colombia. This includes companies that are great in different industries such as financial services, fintech, agritech, aviation, construction, engineering, education, life sciences and digital health, as well as food, beverage and other digital technologies,” said Vradkar, indicating that his government expects the business network to grow in the coming years as trade relations expand.

“We hope to see more imports from Colombia, including coffee and other products, and we look at the potential of working together on renewable energy,” he said.

“Ireland is a country that has come a long way in terms of technology and its economic growth has been amazing. During the year of confinement, it was one of the only countries that had positive growth and all thanks to the fact that it has a very solid economy based on innovation and knowledge,” added Vice President Ramirez. “For Ireland it is important to identify business opportunities in Latin America and, what better than having Colombia as a platform to be able to produce, to develop a greater presence of Irish companies, hopefully throughout the region and throughout the hemisphere.”

“Today we have new investment channels. And, today, Ireland is present in the paper sector of our country but linking it to the concept of the circular economy, where producing-conserving and conserving-producing are not a motto, but a reason for being and where we see Irish companies that perform in this sector, improving in-depth all practices, not only in reducing emissions, but also avoiding environmental damage,” said President Ivan Duque in a speech.

“It has been an extraordinary visit and I am convinced that we are going to see the strengthening of our relations at all levels.”—Tánaiste Leo Varadkar

“It is very important to highlight the role that Ireland plays in Fintech…but above all where we are accessing technologies that have been developed in Ireland. And that transfer of knowledge means a lot to us. In terms of energy transition, Ireland has been accompanying us in the goals that we have defined to be a carbon neutral country in the year 2050 and to be a country that reduces 51% of greenhouse gas emissions by the year 2030, but also we have received accompaniment and support so that this year we can declare 30% of the national territory as a protected area. And I deeply value the presence of Irish companies in this transition towards non-conventional renewable energies, where there are already players and many more will come. And now, also, we appreciate the interest of Irish companies in what will be the strategic route of green hydrogen in Colombia,” Duque continued.

Bilateral Educational Opportunities

A memorandum of understanding was signed between the Colombian Institute of Educational Credit and Technical Studies Abroad (ICETEX) and Ireland’s Department of Continuing and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science that facilitates the sharing of experience and practices “regarding the design of the educational system; the exchange of pedagogical practices and information; the strengthening of relations between educational institutions; and the inclusion of the arts in a transversal way in the curriculum from initial education and secondary education,” among other topics.

“This agreement with Ireland will open up opportunities for more Colombian students in Irish territory; but we also hope that it will allow us to have exchanges so that more Irish citizens are in our country and can contribute to our great objectives such as bilingualism,” said President Duque.

Solidarity with Ukraine

Varadkar praised President Duque for his leadership regarding the situation in Ukraine and in the attention to migrants. “I particularly want to recognize the leadership of the President, who has been the leader in Latin America who has come forward the most on these issues to defend democracy and the sovereignty of the territory of Ukraine. We thank him very much for that leadership. All of us in Europe are very grateful for the solidarity that Colombia has offered in response to the crisis in Ukraine.”

President Duque added: “I want to emphasize, and I am deeply honored, that today, Ireland and Colombia also work for humanitarian purposes and the unrestricted defense of democracy. Colombia has been the strongest and clearest voice in this entire Latin American and Caribbean environment, rejecting this cruel, inhumane attack that violates international law and sovereignty that Russia has committed with Ukraine. We condemn it and express our voice in all instances of multilateralism. Today we are through our participation in NATO as a strategic partner supporting humanitarian action.”

The Venezuelan Crisis

Varadkar said that “Colombia has also shown a humane approach by welcoming its neighbors from Venezuela…Giving temporary status to Venezuelan migrants is something we consider a lot in Ireland, as we are opening our doors to Ukrainians. And I think we have to take into account the humanitarian response of Colombia with the Venezuelans who have had to flee the dictatorship.”

Duque agreed, saying: “I want to emphasize that we are supporting European countries in migration management issues, since Colombia has become a benchmark in the management of 1.8 million Venezuelan migrants who have come to our country due to the opprobrium and dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro.”

Intergovernmental Issues

Varadkar signed a letter of intent with Colombian President Ivan Duque to formalize cooperation between the Irish and Colombian police force in the fight against international crime, and to facilitate the exchange of information between the two Atlantic nations.

Duque also said that progress was being made in resolving double-taxation issues between the two countries, and he hopes the two countries may finalize an agreement soon. On this, he called for urgent action by the Colombian congress.