Thalia Marycielo Leyton Reto

Thalia Marycielo Leyton Reto, from Pueblo Nuevo de Colán, Peru, is pursuing a PhD in bioengineering at Stanford School of Engineering and Stanford School of Medicine. She holds a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering from Universidad de Ingeniería y Tecnología (UTEC) and a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from Institut Polytechnique de Paris. Thalia aims to improve space and terrestrial medicine through the development of complex organ models. She has conducted research at institutions in four countries, including at NASA. Thalia created Colaneñas, a feminist initiative providing STEM education for girls and spaces that honor women in her village. She founded and directs Despegar Fellows, a nonprofit that mentors first-generation, low-income students from Latin America. Thalia received the UTEC full-ride and Emerging Leaders in the Americas Program scholarships, was named a University Innovation Fellow by Stanford’s d.school, and appears on Allbiotech’s “100 Most Promising Young Leaders in Biotechnology in Latin America” and Forbes’ “50 Most Powerful Women in Peru” lists. She joins Stanford as an EDGE Fellow.