I grew up in the thick of the tropics in a small town in Puerto Rico, where I spent most of my childhood exploring nature. When I was little, I was fascinated by land-snails and liked to observe what they ate and where they preferred to live. During my first-grade science fair, I was awarded the first-place prize for identifying that they really enjoyed tomatoes. These humble beginnings in science ultimately led me to many years later pursue my BS in Biology at the University of Puerto Rico in Cayey.
After graduating, I began to study the influence of cell cycle kinetics in the developing mammalian cortex as an NIH-funded PREP scholar at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
I’m currently interested in understanding cell-type specification and developing single-cell transcriptomics technologies to answer interesting biological questions in development.
When I’m not in the lab, I enjoy spending time with my cat, going to the beach, and connecting to Puerto Rico through music. I’m a huge foodie and value the occasional lazy Sunday