Lopez-Nicora is a plant pathologist, nematologist, and applied statistician committed to improving and better protecting soybean health. His research is driven by the intertwined goals of ensuring food stability and helping growers manage diseases that affect yield. Lopez-Nicora earned a BS in agronomy from Universidad Nacional de Asunción in Paraguay, a MS in crop sciences from University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and a Master of Applied Statistics and a PhD in plant pathology from The Ohio State University. Before beginning his Ohio State faculty appointment in 2021, he served in various academic and research position in South America; he remains an adjunct professor at Universidad de Caldas in Colombia and at Universidad San Carlos in Paraguay.