This is a network of Chilean young scientists and entrepreneurs living in Chile or abroad, who collaborate with the teaching and research efforts of our institute. This initiative’s goal is to enrich the universe of possibilities for our students and encourage them to think globally.
In its start-up stage, this program recognizes 13 outstanding Chilean scientists, many of them former Ciencia & Vida’s collaborators who have distinguished themselves internationally for their results as researchers or as entrepreneurs. We appreciate their trust in our institution and welcome them with open arms.
Sergio Quezada
Adjunct Professor in Immunomodulation and Cancer.
Biochemist (Universidad de Chile) and Ph.D. in Immunology (Dartmouth Medical School, New Hamshire). Postdoctoral training at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York. Full Professor, University College London.
Vincenzo Borgna
Adjunct Professor in Urogenital Cancer
Surgeon and Ph.D. in Biotechnology (Universidad Andrés Bello). Postdoctoral fellow at Fundación Ciencia & Vida.
Simón Vidal
Adjunct Professor in Regenerative Medicine
Biochemist (Universidad Andrés Bello) and Ph.D. in Biomedicine (New York University). Postdoctoral fellow at Genentech Inc.
Eduardo Villablanca
Adjunct Professor in Immunology
Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine (Universitá Via-Salute, Milan, Italy). Postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA, USA) and Broad Institute (Cambridge, MA, USA). Wallenberg Academy Fellow in Medicine. Assistant Professor in Immunology at Karolinska Institute, Sweden.
Gonzalo Fuenzalida
Assistant Professor in Entrepreneurship
Commercial Engineer (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile). CEO of Austral Biologicals Inc., California, and Founder and CEO of the start-ups Ango and Andes Agriculture.
Nicolás Cifuentes
Adjunct Professor in Molecular Virology
Biochemist (Universidad de Santiago) and Ph.D. in Biotechnology (Universidad Andrés Bello). Postdoctoral training and Research Assistant Professor at the University of Kentucky, USA.
Francisco Herrera
Adjunct Professor in Molecular Neurobiology
Biochemist (Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile). Ph.D. (Michigan State University) and Postdoctoral training at University of California, Berkeley. Founder and CEO of the start‐up Trancura Biosciences Inc. in the USA with laboratories at Fundación Ciencia & Vida.
Hans Pieringer
Adjunct Professor in Entrepreneurship
Engineer and Master in Biotechnology (Universidad Andrés Bello). Co-founder and CEO of the start-up Phage Technologies S.A. Cofounder and director of Medzyme Inc.
Alejandro Tocigl
Assistant Professor in Entrepreneurship
Commercial Engineer (Universidad de Chile, ESSEC Business School in Paris and Singularity University, NASA Ames, California). Former Business Director of Fundación Chile. Co-founder and CEO of Miroculus Inc. in the USA. Chosen as one of the 100 Young Chilean Leaders and Innovator of the year in Chile by the MIT Technology Review. Entrepreneur of the accelerators of Johnson & Johnson (JLabs), Stanford (StartX) and Google (Launchpad). Commercial Engineer (Universidad de Chile, ESSEC Business School in Paris and Singularity University, NASA Ames, California). Former Business Director of Fundación Chile. Co-founder and CEO of Miroculus Inc. in the USA. Chosen as one of the 100 Young Chilean Leaders and Innovator of the year in Chile by the MIT Technology Review. Entrepreneur of the accelerators of Johnson & Johnson (JLabs), Stanford (StartX) and Google (Launchpad).
Fabiola Osorio
Associate Professor in Immunology and Molecular Pathology
Engineer in Molecular Biotechnology (Universidad de Chile). Assistant Professor and Ph.D. in Immunology and Molecular Pathology (University College London, UCL). Postdoctoral fellow at the Inflammation Research Center, Belgium. Recipient of a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) ‐ International Research Scholar Grant.
Komal Dadlani
Adjunct Professor in Nanobiotechnology
Biochemist with a Master’s degree from Universidad de Chile. CEO and co-founder of Lab4U. Recipient of the Cartier Award for the Women’s Initiative 2015 and the Toyota Mother of Invention Award 2017.
Chosen as one of Innovators Under 35 Latin America 2017 winners by the MIT Technology Review, and internationally recognized by The New York Times, Forbes, People Magazine and the BBC.
Esteban Engel
Adjunct Professor in Neurovirology
Biochemist (Universidad de Chile) and Ph.D. in Biotechnology (Universidad Andrés Bello). Postdoctoral training at the Molecular Biology Department, Princeton University, USA. Director of the Viral Neuroengineering Laboratory of the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, USA.
Macarena Lolas
Adjunct Professor in Regenerative Medicine
Bachelor of Medicine and Surgeon (Universidad de Los Andes). Ph.D. in Biotechnology (Universidad Andrés Bello). Visiting Scholar at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Janelia Farm, Virginia, USA. Postdoctoral training at the University of California, San Francisco. Program Manager of the Chile-based laboratory of Diassess Inc. (California, USA).