After Maria Mercedes Zambrano, Ph.D., completed her doctorate in microbiology in the U.S., she returned to her country, Colombia, and has worked for more than 25 years at the research center she co-founded, Corporación Corpogen. Her research has evolved from studying stationary phase E. coli and microbial pathogen growth and survival to analyzing environmental microbes and community adaptations.

As Scientific Director and Researcher at Corpogen, Zambrano has trained many scientists and worked closely with researchers worldwide, establishing collaborations to focus on challenges in research and innovation. More recently, she has worked as Editor at eLife and mBio and collaborated closely with scientists of diverse backgrounds through participation in global research consortia and networks, such as the DSI scientific network, which aims to provide a voice to scientists in the ongoing discussions regarding global policies on use of digital sequence information.