Zulma Dueñas
Professor, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Research Interest:
Maternal separation, Stress, Neurodeveopment
PhD : Universidad Nacional de ColombiaIntrituto de Neurobiología-Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México -UNAM. México
Funding Sources : Pew fellow 2002
About Her Research
Dr. Dueñas studies the neurobiological and behavioral consequences of stress generated by maternal separation during lactation, using an animal model with rats and some translational studies. Her work examines how early-life stress impacts brain development and behavior.
Training & Return Journey
Zulma completed her master's and doctoral studies at UNAM in Mexico—the master's in Mexico City and the doctorate in Querétaro at the Institute of Neurobiology. She conducted her postdoctoral fellowship at UC Irvine with the Pew Latin American Fellows Program in the Biomedical Sciences (the first Colombian to receive this fellowship). She always wanted to return and needed funding, as there were no repatriation calls or time to return at that moment. She was motivated by wanting to show others that one could study abroad for free and live well with those fellowships, then return to her country to "break ground" and demonstrate that it was possible.
Navigating Challenges
The Scientific Researcher position doesn't exist in Colombia—scientists are Professors who research if they can. Teaching well and responsibly takes significant preparation time, leaving scarce time for research. This is compounded by limited resources, and returning scientists face competition from well-established groups with more experience in securing funding. Additionally, few scholarships mean students must work to pay for their graduate studies, often incurring debt. This delays publications, as theses often remain in repositories rather than being published.
Funding & Support
She began with a "loan" (her salary for 10 months) from UNIBOYACÁ, which ultimately wasn't charged back when rehiring her would mean displacing her replacement. Within six months of starting her master's, she secured scholarships from Spain's Mutis program, then from UNAM (CONACYT) for her master's, DGAPA for her doctorate, and finally from the USA (Pew). The Pew fellowship allowed her to purchase equipment that, 20 years later, continues to function and generate results.
Advice to Young Scientists
"The important thing is to be convinced that you want to return—everything else flows, though not at the speed you might wish."