Sara García Alonso facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sara García Alonso
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García Alonso in 2022
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| Born | 1989 (age 35–36) León, Spain
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| Education |
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| Occupation | Scientist |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (2019–) |
| Thesis | Anticuerpos conjugados a fármacos frente a receptores ErbB: Nuevas indicaciones y mecanismos de resistencia (2018) |
| Space career | |
| ESA reserve astronaut | |
| Selection | 2022 ESA Group |
Sara García Alonso (born in 1989) is a Spanish scientist who studies cancer. She is also a reserve astronaut for the European Space Agency (ESA). This means she is part of a team of astronauts who are on standby for future space missions.
Since 2019, she has worked as a top researcher at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre. In November 2022, she was selected to join the European Astronaut Corps, making her one of Spain's newest astronaut candidates.
Contents
A Scientist's Journey
Sara García has always been interested in science. Her education and career have focused on finding new ways to fight diseases.
University Studies
García went to the University of León in Spain. In 2012, she earned her bachelor's degree in biotechnology. Biotechnology is a field where scientists use living things, like cells, to create useful products. The next year, she completed a master's degree in biomedical research.
For her PhD, she studied at the University of Salamanca. A PhD, or doctorate, is one of the highest degrees a person can earn at a university. Her research was about cancer medicine. She studied how certain cancer drugs work and why they sometimes stop being effective.
Her work was so good that she earned her PhD cum laude, which is a special honor for excellent academic work. She also won the university's Outstanding Doctorate Award for her research.
Fighting Cancer
Since 2019, García has been a postdoctoral researcher at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre. A postdoctoral researcher is a scientist who continues to do advanced research after earning their PhD.
At the centre, she leads a project to find new medicines for lung cancer and pancreatic cancer. Her work focuses on finding ways to stop specific proteins that help cancer cells grow. By doing this, she hopes to create better treatments for these difficult diseases.
Besides her research, García has also volunteered for the Spanish Association Against Cancer, a group that helps cancer patients and their families.
Becoming an Astronaut
In 2022, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced its new group of astronauts. Out of more than 22,500 people who applied from all over Europe, Sara García was chosen as a reserve astronaut.
She and another new astronaut, Pablo Álvarez Fernández, are both from the city of León. They were the first people from Spain chosen by the ESA in 30 years. The last one was Pedro Duque in 1992.
As a reserve astronaut, García continues her important cancer research. If a space mission needs someone with her skills, she will begin astronaut training and could one day travel to space.
Personal Life
Sara García was born in León, Spain, in 1989. Along with her scientific work, she has also worked as a personal trainer and a nutrition coach, helping people stay healthy and fit.
