2021 – 2023: M.Sc. in Genetics and Molecular Biology at the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute, México.
2014 – 2019: B.Sc. in Biology at the National School of Biological Sciences, México.
I am a biologist with a deep interest in co-evolution. Back in my early days as a biology major, I was all about the big and medium-sized animals, and only later I got into the small quirky-looking Insecta class.
To earn my bachelor’s degree, I studied the molecular structure and the gene expression of the two Juvenil-Hormone inactivating enzymes, or JHE and JHEH, in the gut of the bark beetles Dendroctonus valens and D. rhizophagus. It was during this journey that I got really invested in understanding the concept of evolution, particularly after reading about the different strategies employed by Dendroctonus beetles to overcome tree defenses while colonizing both weakened and robust pine trees. This is a truly great example of co-evolution, since these minuscule beetles have symbiotic bacteria that aid the conversion of the toxic volatile compounds found in pine resin into sex pheromones (which are used to coordinate massive attacks on trees).
Wanting to gain knowledge on microbiology and symbioses, I pursued a Master’s degree where I described the diversity of archaea bound by maternal immunoglobulins in human colostrum. I also explored their vertical transmission to newborns through the analysis of neonatal stool.
Now, as I embark on my Ph.D. journey, I hope 1) to learn a lot about the co-evolutionary dynamics within insect-symbiont interactions, and 2) to contribute to the understanding of the challenges faced by Arctic insect communities and their symbionts in Greenland as they struggle with the impacts of the ongoing climate crisis.