“I love the fact that I can use science to directly make people’s lives better” – Francés Colón
Francés Colón is a Puerto Rican neuroscientist, senior director for international climate policy at CAP, and sits in the president’s council of advisors on science and technology. Colón grew up in San Jaun, PR where she also attended the University of Puerto Rico. Although, initially interested in medicine, Colón saw a gap in science and policy and shifted her career focus. With an AAAS fellowship, Colón’s first government projects focused on improving K-12 STEM education in Muslim-majority countries. During the Obama administration, she became deputy of science and technology advisor for the US SoS. Colón also advocates for women in STEM, taking part in the White House’s “Untold History of Women” project. Her work has earned her multiple fellowships from Yale-OpEd and for government leadership.