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Frances Colón is an American science diplomat, serving ten years at the United States Department of State.

Early life and education
Colón grew up in San Juan, Puerto Rico and earned her B.S. in Biology in 1997 from the University of Puerto Rico and her doctorate in developmental neurobiology at Brandeis University in 2004.

Science diplomacy career
Dr. Colón was a AAAS Science & Technology Policy fellow from 2006 to 2008 with the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Oceans, Environment and International Scientific Affairs. She served nearly five years as deputy science and technology adviser to the secretary of state (2012–2017). In that role, she became the highest-ranking Hispanic scientist at the State Department. Prior to this role, she had been an adviser on science and the environment for the Western Hemisphere Affairs at the State Department and served as acting science and technology adviser to secretary of state John Kerry. In 2015, she represented the United States government as vice chair of the United Nations Commission on Science and Technology Development. Under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Colón led the Energy and Climate Partnership for the Americas (ECPA), an initiative announced by President Obama at the Summit of the Americas in April 2009 to accelerate sustainable energy in the Americas. She currently serves as the President and CEO of Jasperi Consulting, a policy consulting group in the Miami and Fort Lauderdale area. In 2016, she was named one of "the 20 most influential Latinos in technology" by CNET. In 2019, Dr. Colón served a fellow at Open Society Foundations, working on policy efforts to counter the gentrification and climate change impacts on vulnerable communities in southern Florida. She is also the founder of Cenadores Puerto Rico, part of Grupo Guayacán Inc.a nonprofit organization aimed advancing Puerto Rico's entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Science advocacy efforts
Colón is also an outspoken advocate for women and girls to pursue careers in science. During her time as Deputy Adviser, she oversaw the creation of the Networks of Diasporas in Engineering and Science (NODES) initiative to empower diasporas with science expertise to develop and influence effective policies and solve challenges in their countries of origin. As part of President Obama's White House "Untold History of Women in STEM" project, she shared the story of Puerto Rican scientist Ana Roqué de Duprey. As of 20128, she is a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine pilot initiative, “New Voices in Sciences, Engineering and Medicine” (SEM).