María Emilia is a Historian and Political Scientist devoted to Women's Rights and Public History.

As an advisor to the Ministry of Commerce, she witnessed the obstacles women face to obtain credit and start their own businesses, which partly accounts for the low percentage of women business owners in Colombia. Since then, she has advocated for gender policies that promote female entrepreneurship and equal opportunities.

When she was 25, she was appointed Private Secretary in Bogotá’s Mayor Office Women’s Secretariat. This challenging position allowed her to gain a deep understanding of public policies aimed at closing the gender gap, promoting women's economic autonomy, and addressing domestic violence.

During her tenure as a Gender Advisor in the Delegate Attorney's Office for the Follow-up of the Peace Agreement, she oversaw the implementation of the gender-related provisions of the Agreement. Her primary focus was to safeguard the rights of female and LGBTI victims of the armed conflict, female ex-combatants, and feminist and human rights activists who were threatened by illegal armed groups.

Alongside her work as a public servant, she has been deeply committed to the democratisation of historical knowledge. She is the founder and director of the Public History Foundation @nerdsdelahistoria which is making historical knowledge accessible (and fun) for everyone, and has a community of over 80,000 followers across various social media platforms.

Currently, she is co-authoring a Women's History book with Diana Uribe (Colombia’s best-selling author) that will be published by Penguin Random House in 2024

María Emilia is a Chevening Scholar.