Diana Marcela Bolaños Rodríguez
Diana Marcela Bolaños Rodríguez | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1981 Bogotá, Colombia |
| Occupation | Marine biologist |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Known for | Taxonomy and study of platyhelminths; L'Oréal-UNESCO Fellowship for Women in Science (2010) |
Diana Marcela Bolaños Rodríguez is a marine biologist from Colombia with expertise in the taxonomy and study of platyhelminths. She was awarded the prestigious L'Oréal-UNESCO Fellowship for Women in Science in 2010. In 2012, she was honored as the Colombian biologist of the year, and the following year, the BBC recognized her as one of the top ten female scientists in Latin America.
Biography
Born in 1981 in Bogotá, Colombia, Bolaños began her higher education journey at Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano in Santa Marta when she was 19 years old. She completed her undergraduate thesis on flatworm species in 2003. Pursuing advanced studies, she earned a PhD in zoology from the University of New Hampshire in 2008, receiving an Award for Excellence in Research. Her doctoral research concentrated on polyclad flatworms, marine organisms distinguished by their ability to regenerate tissue through stem cell activity.
Following her marriage to Joseph Dunn, an American she met during her time at UNH, Bolaños returned to Colombia in 2008 to further develop her research efforts. She created an extensive database detailing flatworm species and their classification. During this period, she served as a visiting professor at the University of the Andes.
Supported by the L'Oréal-UNESCO Fellowship in 2010, Bolaños conducted postdoctoral research at Uniandes. Later, she accepted a position as assistant professor at the Universidad de Cartagena. Her scientific contributions earned her the title of Colombian biologist of the year in 2012 and inclusion among Latin America's leading women scientists by the BBC in 2013.
Her ongoing investigations explore regenerative mechanisms in polyclads, planarians, and other members of the platyhelminth group. Bolaños has published numerous articles in internationally recognized journals such as Evolution & Development, Journal of Natural History, and Zootaxa, with a focus on evolutionary biology and systematics. Additionally, she has participated in specialized developmental biology training programs offered by organizations like the Society for Developmental Biology. In tribute to her work, the flatworm species Bisacculosuteri marcelae was named after her in 2019.
Selected works
External links
- 1980 births
- Living people
- Scientists from Bogotá
- Women marine biologists
- L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science fellows
- 21st-century women scientists
- Colombian women biologists
- Jorge Tadeo Lozano University alumni
- University of New Hampshire alumni
- Academic staff of the University of Los Andes (Colombia)
- Academic staff of the University of Cartagena
- Colombian marine biologists