‘Trained engineer’: Venezuela’s Machado wins Nobel Peace Prize – what’s her academic background?

María Corina Machado, a Venezuelan industrial engineer and opposition leader, has won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her relentless fight for democracy against authoritarian rule. Her journey from academia to activism reflects a fusion of technical precision and civic courage. Founder of Súmate and leader of Vente Venezuela, Machado has endured persecution, exile, and political bans. Her engineering mindset underpins her approach to governance, showing that democracy, like any system, requires constant, principled maintenance.