Ciencia Puerto Rico

I completed my undergraduate studies in Industrial Biotechnology at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez where I worked in the research laboratory of Dr. Carlos Rios Velzquez. I completed my Ph.D. in Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where I completed my dissertation entitled: "Discovering unexpected connections and developing tools to define the CTD code of Pol II." in the laboratory of Dr. Aseem Z. Ansari. I am currently a postdoctoral research scientist at the MRC-Laboratory of Molecular Biology where I am focusing on understanding how 3' end RNA processing is regulated and coupled to transcription.

In general I am interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate gene expression by combining genomics, chemical-genetics, structural biology and biochemistry. I have experience in mentoring undergraduate and graduate students, and developing and writing successfully funded NSF and NIH grants. I have served as teaching assistant for basic and advanced courses in eukaryotic molecular biology and biochemistry, and I have volunteered as a high school science fair judge and as coordinator for citizen scientist projects.

I am happy to help develop new or established projects, and provide feedback on manuscripts, grant applications or simply brainstorm ideas. I am particularly apt at problem solving through the systematic dissection of critical variables, making new connections, designing experiments and identifying new and exciting directions for future research.