Pew Supports 10 Leading Latin American Scientists

PHILADELPHIA, June 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pew Charitable Trusts today announced the 2026 class of the Pew Latin American Fellows Program in the Biomedical Sciences.

These 10 postdoctoral fellows from seven Latin American countries—Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay—will each receive two years of funding to conduct research in laboratories across the United States. They will work under the mentorship of prominent scientists, including alumni of Pew's biomedical programs.

"For 35 years, Pew has proudly supported talented scientists from Latin America as they pursue cutting-edge research in U.S. 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."

Pew will provide additional funding to fellows who choose to return to Latin America to launch their own research labs. Nearly 70% of program participants have taken this path, helping to cultivate a robust biomedical research community across the region.

This year's group will investigate a variety of topics spanning biomedical research. They'll explore the intricacies of the immune system, work to understand how sleep bolsters memory, look for ways to improve disease prevention and treatment, and more.

"Over the course of more than three decades, Pew Latin American fellows have built a rich scientific network across fields and countries," said Eva Nogales, Ph.D., distinguished professor in the department of molecular and cell biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and chair of the program's national advisory committee. "I am thrilled to welcome this exceptionally talented group of fellows into this community, and I look forward to seeing all that they accomplish as scientists during their time in the program and beyond."

The 2026 Pew Latin American fellows and their U.S. mentors are:

Isabel Barón-Mendoza, Ph.D.
Laboratory of Victoria Abraira, Ph.D., 2019 Pew biomedical scholar
Rutgers University
Isabel Barón-Mendoza, Ph.D., will explore the cellular basis of the touch sensitivity associated with autism spectrum disorder.

Bernabé Battista, Ph.D.
Laboratory of Monica Colaiácovo, Ph.D.
Harvard Medical School
Bernabé Battista, Ph.D., will investigate the molecular mechanisms that govern the accurate segregation of chromosomes during egg and sperm development.

Julia Castro, Ph.D.
Laboratory of Renan V.H. de Carvalho, Ph.D.
Scripps Research Institute
Julia Castro, Ph.D., will examine the mechanisms by which vaccines can stimulate the generation of durable antibody responses, primarily maintained by long-lived plasma cells.

Elias Barbosa da Silva-Junior, Ph.D.
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Elias Barbosa da Silva-Junior, Ph.D., will study how the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans subverts host cells to propagate infection.

Guilherme de Moraes Nobrega, Ph.D.
Laboratory of Jean K. Lim, Ph.D.
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Guilherme de Moraes Nobrega, Ph.D., will examine how the timing of maternal infection and different strains of monkeypox virus affect pregnancy outcomes.

Joaquin Gonzalez, Ph.D.
Laboratories of György Buzsáki, M.D., Ph.D., and Zhe Sage Chen, Ph.D.
NYU Grossman School of Medicine
Joaquin Gonzalez, Ph.D., will explore how the brain consolidates memories during sleep.

Santiago López, Ph.D.
Laboratory of Jennifer Doudna, Ph.D.
Innovative Genomics Institute; University of California, Berkeley
Santiago López, Ph.D., will explore the role that bacterial immune systems play in sensing cellular stress or damage.

Sandra Nakandakari-Higa, Ph.D.
Laboratory of Minsoo Kim, Ph.D.
University of Rochester Medical Center
Sandra Nakandakari-Higa, Ph.D., will investigate why the "memory T cells" that live in the lungs become depleted soon after infection.

Montserrat Olivares, Ph.D.
Laboratory of Kristin Baldwin, Ph.D., 2007 Pew biomedical scholar
Columbia University
Montserrat Olivares, Ph.D., will study why boys are more vulnerable than girls to autism spectrum disorders.

Laura Gonzalez Garcia, Ph.D.
Laboratory of Andrew D.L. Nelson, Ph.D.
Boyce Thompson Institute
Laura Gonzalez Garcia, Ph.D., will explore the unique differences in how an RNA modification influences mRNA stability and turnover in plants and humans.

Founded in 1948, The Pew Charitable Trusts uses data to make a difference. Pew addresses the challenges of a changing world by illuminating issues, creating common ground, and advancing ambitious projects that lead to tangible progress.

CONTACT: Erin Davis, [email protected]

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SOURCE The Pew Charitable Trusts