María Estelí Jarquín has focused her career on building bridges between academia and policy interfaces, mobilizing knowledge and scientific evidence in decision-making processes in Latin America. As an expert in Science Diplomacy, she has worked as a consultant for different United Nations agencies, has led the international strategy of the University of Costa Rica, and is a member of different networks such as UNESCO’s OWSD, the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA), and AAAS-TWAS science diplomacy alumni. She has a master’s in Science, Technology, and Public Policy from University College London, and is a political scientist by background. She is the International Relations Coordinator at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH), a Chevening Scholar of the UK Foreign Office and is part of different young leader’s forums including the WEF Global Shapers community. She has published articles in peer-reviewed journals on the institutional capacities for science diplomacy, legislative science advice, and on strategies to engage with scientific diasporas, among others.