Paula Helena Reyes-Herrera

Kilomentro 14 vía Mosquera-Bogotá

Mosquera, Cundinamarca, Colombia

I am a bioinformatician. I have a background in electronic engineering and a profound interest in biology. Since 2015, I have been working in the agriculture and livestock sector.

I have developed computational tools to predict associations in genomic data on algorithms for post-transcriptional gene regulation, genotyping and variant detection, and genotype and phenotype association. In 2015 I joined AGROSAVIA, and I have worked first at the Colombian National Germplasm Bank in the information system and second on a Genotyping platform for the Bank. Currently, I am working on plant genome assembly.

Even though my main interests are in agrigenomics and studying Colombian diversity, I also look forward to integrating information technologies (including AI) into the Colombian agricultural sector.

selected publications

Strengthening national genebanks through genomics and regional collaboration: Lessons from Latin America and the Caribbean

Carvajal-Yepes, M., Petroli, C., Correa, M., Breseghello, F., Tapia, G., Salazar, E., Chassaigne, A., Ferreyra, M., Reyes-Herrera, P.H., Guzmán, M., Mendoza, A., Vidal, R., Condón, F., de Almeida, N., Fernandez, E., Rodríguez, L., Solano, W., Morales, A.J., Velásquez-Flores, B.L., Soto, J., Robles, R., Ledesma, A., Aragón, M., Castillo, D., Roa, C., López Noriega, I., Wenzl, P., and Sansaloni, C.

Global Food Security 2026

Abs

Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is a center of origin and domestication for globally important crops such as cassava, common bean, maize, and potato, all of which are key to food and nutrition security worldwide. Despite this strategic role, many national genebanks in the region face technical, financial, and policy barriers that limit the use of genomic tools for characterization and conservation. These genebanks safeguard the genetic diversity needed to enhance crop yields, climate-change resilience, nutritional quality, and pest and disease resistance. In 2022, CGIAR Centers and partners established the “Community of Practice (CoP) of national genebanks in LAC” to strengthen regional capacity for generating and interpreting digital sequence information (DSI), facilitate collaboration, and promote sustainable management of plant genetic resources. Through coordinated capacity-building activities, joint crop-based analyses, and shared learning, the CoP has connected 17 institutions across 13 countries. Members have begun generating and interpreting DSI for common bean, maize, and potato, while addressing gaps in data sharing, interoperability, and policy frameworks. Looking ahead, the CoP seeks to conduct diversity analysis, establish regional core collections, integrate existing global data portals, and advocate for policy alignment to sustain genomic characterization and access to diversity. This CoP initiative provides a model applicable in other regions to strengthen genebank operations through collaborative innovation and coordinated action, contributing to resilient and equitable global food systems.
Prioritizing Colombian plant genetic resources for investment in research using indicators about the geographic origin, vulnerability status, economic benefits, and food security importance

Cerón-Souza, Ivania, Delgadillo-Duran, Diego A, Polo-Murcia, Sonia M, Sarmiento-Naizaque, Zaida X, and Reyes-Herrera, Paula H

2022
Genome Sequence Data Reveal at Least Two Distinct Incursions of the Tropical Race 4 Variant of Fusarium Wilt into South America

Reyes-Herrera, Paula H., Torres-Bedoya, Eliana, Lopez-Alvarez, Diana, Burbano-David, Diana, Carmona, Sandra L., Bebber, Daniel P., Studholme, David J., Betancourt, Monica, and Soto-Suarez, Mauricio

Phytopathology® 2023
Inheritance of rootstock effects in avocado (Persea americana Mill.) cv. Hass

Reyes-Herrera, Paula H, Muñoz-Baena, Laura, Velásquez-Zapata, Valeria, Patiño, Laura, Delgado-Paz, Oscar A, Dı́az-Diez, Cipriano A, Navas-Arboleda, Alejandro A, and Cortés, Andrés J

Frontiers in plant science 2020
Robust and efficient software for reference-free genomic diversity analysis of genotyping-by-sequencing data on diploid and polyploid species

Parra-Salazar, Andrea, Gomez, Jorge, Lozano-Arce, Daniela, Reyes-Herrera, Paula H, and Duitama, Jorge

Molecular Ecology Resources 2022
MultiGWAS: An integrative tool for Genome Wide Association Studies in tetraploid organisms

Garreta, Luis, Cerón-Souza, Ivania, Palacio, Manfred Ricardo, and Reyes-Herrera, Paula H

Ecology and Evolution 2021
Vis–NIR spectroscopy and machine learning methods to diagnose chemical properties in Colombian sugarcane soils

Delgadillo-Duran, Diego A., Vargas-García, Cesar A., Varón-Ramírez, Viviana M., Calderón, Francisco, Montenegro, Andrea C., and Reyes-Herrera, Paula H.

Geoderma Regional 2022