About Me
I’m a Colombian-American neuroscientist researching multisensory integration using in-vivo electrophysiology, optogenetics and behavior. I am interested in how sensory systems process information and coordinate with other sensory systems to drive appropriate responses to stimuli..
I am currently a doctoral candidate with Donald B. Katz at Brandeis University. My thesis project focuses on the differences between ortho- and retronasal olfaction and how they differentially influence taste processing in the gustatory and olfactory cortices. Using multi-region multi-channel drivable electrodes I am able to record from both sensory cortices simultaneously and observe responses to different stimuli. My goal is to determine whether these two cortices have context-dependent processes that coalesce during retronasal olfaction./p>
My undergraduate work with Dr. Dan Cox made use of behavioral genetics and systematics to study cold and chemical nociception (pain) in Drosophila, focusing on: the relationship between cold-induced pain and drosophilid ecology/cold acclimation; the function of relevant molecules/genes; and how these mechanisms relate to, or can be leveraged to study human neuropathic pain. During this time, we also studied the evolution of TRP channels, describing new TRP channel families and sub-families, and formulating hypotheses concerning TRP function in ancestral bilaterians.
Positions, Training, and Education
- PhD | Katz Lab | Biology Department | Brandeis University | 2020-Present
- BS | Cox Lab | Neuroscience Institute | Georgia State University | 2017-2020
Fellowships
- 2020-2022 | NIH T32 Training Grant for Doctoral Students
- 2017-2020 | NIH R25 Initiative for Maximizing Student Development Fellowship
Awards
- 2022 | SACNAS NDiSTEM Conference Travel Award
- 2022 | AChemS Conference Travel Award
- 2021 | Volen Retreat Best Poster Award (2nd)
- 2020 | SURE Conference Travel Award