People

Dr. Marga Gual Soler has been one of the pioneers in building science diplomacy as a field of research, policy and education worldwide. Prior to joining GESDA she founded SciDipGLOBAL, a purpose-driven advisory, strategy, research and training firm helping governments, universities, international organizations and scientific institutions strengthen the role of science in global policy. She serves as a senior science diplomacy advisor to the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research and is a member of the Scientific and Diplomatic Taskforce of the Square Kilometre Array Organisation (SKAO).

She previously served as senior project director at the AAAS Center for Science Diplomacy, where she built a global education and training program in science diplomacy and promoted scientific exchanges between countries under political strain – notably helping rebuild scientific cooperation between the United States and Cuba following the diplomatic normalization of 2015. She also served as a high-level science diplomacy advisor to former EU commissioner for Research & Innovation Carlos Moedas, was a member of the S4D4C Horizon 2020 project and is a founding member of the EU Science Diplomacy Alliance.

Marga holds a bachelor and master’s degree in biology from the University of Barcelona (Spain), a PhD in Molecular Cell Biology from the University of Queensland (Australia) and executive education certificates in leadership and public policy from Georgetown University and Harvard Kennedy School. In 2019 she participated in the largest-ever women in STEM expedition to Antarctica to elevate women’s leadership in global sustainability and climate action, and in 2020 was recognized as a ‘Young Global Leader’ of the World Economic Forum.