I earned my undergraduate degree in molecular environmental biology with a concentration in biodiversity and a minor in geospatial information science and technology (GIST) from U.C. Berkeley. After graduating, I joined the Patel Lab as a Research Assistant, where I contribute to ongoing projects on Parhyale hawaiensis while also managing animal care for these amphipods. In my current role, I am expanding my expertise in wet lab techniques, including hybridization chain reactions, antibody staining, microinjections, fluorescent staining, microscopy, image processing, and more. Through this experience, I hope to determine whether graduate school aligns with my long-term academic and professional aspirations.
Growing up on the isthmus of Panama, I was surrounded by an extraordinary diversity of flora and fauna—ranging from terrestrial ecosystems to freshwater and marine habitats. Living on a narrow strip of land between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, within a tropical climate, fostered my deep fascination with the natural world and ultimately shaped my academic pursuits.
At Berkeley, I focused on natural history, conservation sciences, and palaeobiology, engaging in research across multiple labs. As a research assistant in the Seth Finnegan Lab, I analyzed fossil bryozoan fragments from Stevns Klint, using fluorescence and digital microscopy to classify them by size and function. This work contributed to reconstructing their life cycle and assessing morphological diversity before and after the Permian-Triassic mass extinction. In the Steve Beissinger Lab, I studied morphological responses to climate change in rodents, photographing museum specimens from the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology to analyze key pigments in pelage coloration using standardized methods. In the Justin Brashares and Chris Schell Lab, I processed data from field experiments simulating environmental conditions on cannabis farms, utilizing wildlife camera traps to evaluate multi-taxa responses to artificial light and noise pollution.
Beyond research, I served as an undergraduate learning mentor for the course Palaeobiological Perspectives on Ecology and Evolution, honing my teaching and mentorship skills. However, one of the most formative experiences in shaping my passion for marine sciences was my study abroad program in Mo’orea, French Polynesia. My research on brackish water snails, Neritina auriculata and Neritina natalensis, highlighted their role as keystone grazers, essential in controlling algal populations on this remote island. Interestingly, the DIY shoebox enclosures I constructed for my research remind me of the habitat setups used for Parhyale hawaiensis in the Patel Lab today.
Outside of science, I love to cook, explore the outdoors, read, and photograph. One of my most cherished memories is swimming with humpback whales in Mo’orea, an experience that deepened my appreciation for marine ecosystems and reaffirmed my passion for studying biodiversity.