At Penn State, our partnerships in Latin America and the Caribbean are central to our strategic goal of creating regional networks that address global issues with a local perspective. These collaborations foster long-term engagement, nurturing transformative and equitable partnerships that provide a welcoming environment and new opportunities for today’s international students and scholars. 

Through impactful projects in the region, Penn State is developing a network that enables faculty, students, and staff to engage with and learn about critical issues in our hemisphere. We are committed to partnerships that advance mutual goals. Together with our international partners, we aim to enhance teaching, enrich learning experiences, expand research and scholarship, and strengthen service and outreach initiatives. 

For further information or to engage with our Latin American Partnerships, please contact Dr. Siela Maximova, Penn State Global Director for Latin America and Caribbean region at snm104@psu.edu.

News

The 'Spirit of Chocolate' celebrates chocolate as both science and story
February 25, 2026

Science, art and action: Páramos 2025 Symposium ignites global collaboration
July 2, 2025

Penn State professor joins forces with Brazilian University in virtual exchange
April 1, 2024

International Affairs student makes impact in Colombia and across the globe
February 22, 2024

Grants awarded to Penn State faculty for tropical ecosystems research in Belize
October 16, 2023

Penn State-led team to study climate-threatened Colombian Paramos' soil microbes
September 14, 2023

First-gen students explore Costa Rica through College of Ag Sciences course
March 31, 2023

Penn State student learns about sustainability and conservation efforts in Chile
March 22, 2023

Penn State faculty visit Belize to forge collaborations
March 20, 2023

Colombia-USA WEF Nexus Alliance holds week of meetings, planning at Penn State
March 14, 2023

Colombia-USA WEF Nexus Alliance announces partnership with Amazon
March 1, 2023

More Latin America/Caribbean News

Dr. Siela Maximova completed her Ph.D. in Plant Physiology and Master of Law at The Pennsylvania State University and B.S./M.S. in Agricultural Engineering at the Agricultural University, Plovdiv, Bulgaria. She serves as a Director for Latin America and the Caribbean for Penn State Global, where she leads the development and implementation of the university’s regional strategy, and a Director for Partnerships for Penn State Plant Institute. Dr. Maximova is a Research Professor of Plant Biotechnology and Co-Director of the Endowed Program for Molecular Biology of Cocoa at Penn State. In this position, she has secured close to $20 million in external funding for projects on plant research from a wide variety of sources, including the USA, Peruvian, and Colombian governments, private companies, NGOs, and foundations. She has served as Strategic Research Initiatives Coordinator and as a Global Faculty Fellow for Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences. Dr. Maximova was named the Inaugural Henrietta H. Fore Women in Science Fellow by CRDF Global. In 2019, she received Land Grant Universities (LGU) - Fulbright visiting scholar and Fulbright Specialist awards and served as Chair of LGU Consortium for Colombia. She has built several strong strategic, research, and education initiatives, including the Colombia-USA Water-Energy-Food Nexus Alliance. For her work internationally, Dr. Maximova has been awarded Faculty Fellow (2024) and Research Guidance Award (2023) by the Penn State Institute of Energy and the Environment and by Penn State Global: Outstanding Program Award (2022), Penn State Global: Award for Outstanding Research (2021), and Penn State: W. LaMarr Kopp International Faculty Achievement award (2019).