Monica Stein

Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG)

Advisor, ASPIRE

Monica Stein is the Vice Rector for Research, Partnership, and Collaboration. In this role, she oversees the Research Institute, university relations with various stakeholders (industry, alumni, and international partners), and institutional communication. She also designs, drafts, and advises UVG projects funded by USAID.  

Dr. Stein was previously the Dean of Research UVG, supporting eleven research centers in their strategic planning, institutional development and project implementation.  She has worked for the Guatemalan National Secretariat of Science and Technology and consulted on science and technology for UNESCO, UNDP, and IADB.  She has also completed Management in Higher Education courses at Harvard University School of Education, the University of Oldenburg and University of Saarland, Germany.

Before focusing on Science and Technology management, she was a plant biology researcher.  She has consulted on biotechnology for the Global Environment Fund (GEF) and the Guatemalan sugar industry, Co-Directed the Center for Biotechnology at UVG, and taught the Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering courses at UVG´s Biochemistry Department.  She holds a Ph.D. in Plant Biology from Stanford University, and degrees in Biochemistry and Environmental Studies from the University of Pennsylvania.  Her research has been published in peer reviewed journals such as Science and Nature.