Lorena López-Galvis

Lorena López-Galvis is an agronomist engineer from Colombia with a PhD in Biology from KU Leuven and Ghent University in Belgium. Her research focuses on plant physiology under abiotic stresses, working with both laboratory model plants and crops such as rice, beans, and banana. One of her main goals is to translate scientific knowledge from the lab to the field, offering farmers sustainable strategies to improve crop yield and growth while optimizing the use of water and other inputs.

She is also deeply interested in sustainable soil and cropping practices that enhance crop resilience in the face of changing climate scenarios. With over 15 years of research experience, she has collaborated with leading institutions such as the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Plant Physiology and the University of Tokyo. At the latter, she worked on applying laboratory research to Colombian rice fields to monitor water and nitrogen use for more efficient resource management.

For five years, Dr. López-Galvis worked in Research and Development for a biotechnology company producing organic agricultural inputs. In this role, she engaged directly with agricultural companies and producers, helping address crop challenges and identifying more environmentally friendly solutions.

Another key chapter in her career involved teaching Plant Physiology and Plant Biotechnology to undergraduate students at Universidad Javeriana in Cali, where she shared her knowledge and passion for science with the next generation of agronomists.