Sara received her bachelor’s degree in biotechnology in 2012 and a master’s degree in biomedical and biological research in 2013, both from the University of León in Spain. She was awarded with two different prizes for her academic excellence.
In 2018, she received a doctorate in nuclear biology of cancer and translational medicine from the University of Salamanca, Spain. Her Ph.D. was awarded “cum laude” and won the Outstanding Doctorate Award by the University of Salamanca in 2019.
During her time as a doctoral candidate, Sara worked as a university research assistant for the Spanish National Research Council conducting research on cancer medicine.
From 2019, Sara was an advanced biomedical scientist with the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) leading a project on experimental oncology and drug discovery.
In 2021, she took part in a 6-month executive programme on building business from science and technology with the IE Business school in Madrid, Spain.
Sara was also active in volunteer work, as a collaborator for the Spanish Association Against Cancer and organiser of several scientific workshops and congresses for academics and the public.
She enjoys scuba diving and is a certified Open Water Diver. She also practices Krav Maga and skydiving and is active as a personal trainer and nutrition coach.
For the first time, ESA has established a reserve pool of astronauts. This reserve list is composed of astronaut candidates who were successful throughout the entire selection process but cannot be recruited at this point in time. Astronauts in the reserve remain with their current employers and will receive a consultancy contract and basic support. They will start basic training in case a flight opportunity has been identified.
© European Space Agency