Sarah García, a researcher at the National Cancer Institute (CNIO) and an astronaut with the European Astronaut Reserve, visited the University of Jaén (UJA) this Monday and encouraged students to “never give up” and set new goals, regardless of whether they have been achieved, because “there is always something to be gained from it.”
Mr. Garcia held a conference entitled “Biotechnology.” “From the Laboratory to Space” hosted by the Department of Experimental Science. This was a motivating intervention, and he emphasized that “it’s never too early to give up. As humans, we must dare to take the first step, motivated by our curiosity and desire to learn and challenge.”
In a speech before a packed audience at Aula Magna on the Las Lagunillas Campus, Sara García, who was selected from among approximately 23,000 ESA reserve astronaut candidates in 2022, became the first Spanish woman to achieve this goal. called on us to “take away the burdens we usually carry, the lack of reference materials, the statistics that can challenge us, because whether we reach our goals or not, we are just on the way.” With discipline and effort, you can achieve anything and win. ”
In this sense, he referred to his work at the CNIO and ESA itself and explained “how we can build bridges” in biotechnological and biomedical research both on Earth and in space. “The common ground is the same: the advancement of knowledge, the use of technology, the application of science here on Earth, and the improvement of people’s lives.” And that can be accomplished “from a laboratory at the CNIO, from a laboratory on the International Space Station, or from the University of Jaén.”
UJA President Nicholas Lewis said that UJA is “very honored to have someone who has shown us that there is no ceiling to dreams that are tackled with determination and passion,” and that he believes that research is “the driving force that moves the world.”
Lewis highlighted the speaker’s decision to make the leap from his job as a researcher at the National Cancer Research Center to the European Space Agency.
“He decided to leave his comfort zone, this known territory, prepared thoroughly, faced one of the toughest selection processes in the world, and dared to dream what seemed almost impossible. That leap, that courage, is what truly unites the Institute and its stars,” the president said.
Finally, in relation to scientific careers, the UJA director pointed out that we need more young people who “look at the problems, recognize the challenges” and “don’t accept ‘no’ for an answer.”
Sara Garcia is a scientific researcher at the National Cancer Research Center (CNIO) and a member of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Astronaut Reserve Corps. She graduated top of her class in biotechnology from the University of Leon and received several awards for academic excellence. During his time at the university, he trained in several laboratories and earned a master’s degree specializing in biomedical sciences.
He then moved to the Cancer Research Center (2013-2018) and received a PhD with distinction in the molecular biology of cancer and translational medicine from the University of Salamanca, where he was awarded a special doctoral degree for the best doctoral thesis in the field of medicine. At this stage, he worked on identifying therapeutic targets and drug resistance mechanisms in different types of cancer.
In 2019, he joined Dr. Mariano Barbacid’s laboratory at CNIO and is leading a project to develop therapeutic drugs for lung adenocarcinoma and pancreatic adenocarcinoma using KRAS. In November 2022, she was selected from around 23,000 candidates as a reserve astronaut for the European Astronaut Corps, becoming the first Spanish woman to achieve this qualification.
He has organized numerous outreach conferences and participated in multiple events to motivate young people to pursue STEM careers, and was recently awarded the “Passion for Science 2025” award, one of the many honors he has received. According to Forbes magazine, she is one of the 35 leading Spanish women in technology and one of Spain’s 100 most powerful women.
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