In San Vicente de Chucurí, the story of José Cediel Becerra began—a scientist who transformed the curiosity of his childhood into a vocation for understanding the microscopic world. From this municipality in Santander, his academic and personal path led him across borders and to dedicate his work to one of the most urgent challenges in global health: finding new answers to antibiotic resistance.
“Growing up in San Vicente de Chucurí profoundly shaped my vocation. Being surrounded by nature awakened in me the need to understand how organisms function and interact; that curiosity was the starting point for everything,” he recalls.
José, son of Myriam Becerra and José Cediel, grew up in a home where studying was a priority and perseverance a daily lesson. His first academic steps were at Colegio Nuestra Señora de la Paz, and later he completed high school at Colegio Integrado Camilo Torres.
He still remembers afternoons of reading and the decisive influence of his parents: “My mom instilled discipline and a love of learning in me, and my dad taught me that perseverance is key to achieving goals. He always told me I would become a doctor someday, and that confidence pushed me to believe in my abilities.”
The next chapter was written at the Universidad Indsutrial de Santander, where he trained as a biologist and began to consolidate his profile as a researcher. He graduated with Summa Cum Laude honors and an award-winning thesis, an achievement that marked his scientific projection.
“A key experience during my training at the Industrial University of Santander was completing my undergraduate thesis in the Laboratory of Microbiology and Environmental Mutagenesis at the School of Biology, under the supervision of Professor Jorge Luis Fuentes Lorenzo. Having his mentorship was fundamental to developing rigorous research skills, which allowed me to achieve my first scientific publication,” he says proudly.
Crossing borders
His academic performance led him to continue his training at the University of Florida in Gainesville (United States), where he completed his master’s and PhD in Microbiology. There he consolidated a research line that combines biology and computational tools to explore the therapeutic potential of microorganisms.
José’s work focuses on studying bacterial genetic information to identify molecules that could become new medicines, especially antibiotics.
In the researcher’s own words: “We seek to understand what compounds bacteria produce and how they might help us fight diseases. It’s like deciphering hidden instructions in their DNA to find possible therapeutic solutions.”
In a global context where antimicrobial resistance causes more than one million deaths each year and could reach figures comparable to cancer in the coming decades, his research takes on an urgent dimension.
One of the milestones of his career has been the development of computational tools capable of predicting biosynthetic pathways and anticipating the structure of natural compounds. Seeing those predictions confirmed in the laboratory was, he says, a decisive moment: proof that data could translate into real discoveries.
Great opportunities
Despite his international projection, José keeps his focus on training new generations. He believes that today there are great opportunities for young Colombian scientists to integrate into global networks thanks to virtual collaboration, international partnerships, and access to scientific information.
However, he insists on the need to strengthen English proficiency, a culture of internationalization, and access to funding for academic mobility—key factors for talent to project beyond borders.
The story of José Cediel Becerra is one of a vocation built step by step: from observing nature in childhood to cutting-edge research in microbiology. His trajectory reflects how curiosity, accompanied by discipline and opportunities, can become a tool to face global challenges.
Today, while the world searches for new ways to combat increasingly resistant bacteria, his work reminds us that the answers may be hidden in the smallest things, waiting to be discovered by those who never stop asking questions.
