Education
B.S., University of Puerto Rico at Humacao, Wildlife Management, 2016
M.S., Texas A&M University, Ecology and Conservation Biology, 2020
Biography
I was born and raised in a small coastal town in eastern Puerto Rico called Yabucoa. I obtained my B.S. degree in Wildlife Management from the University of Puerto Rico, where I worked under the supervision of Dr. Ernesto P. Esteban developing biomathematical models to study Prostate specific-antigen (PSA) dynamics in patients with Prostate cancer and / or Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). After graduating, I moved to College Station to continue my graduate studies at Texas A&M University in the Biodiversity Assessment & Monitoring Lab of Dr. Thomas E. Lacher in the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences. As a master’s student my research focused on the identification and description of the echolocation call structure of the nectar-feeding bats L. nivalis, L. yerbabuenae, C. mexicana, and the facultative nectar-feeding bat A. pallidus in the northern region of Mexico.
Despite the fact that my academic training and research interests are more focused on tropical ecology and wildlife conservation, my passion for research has allowed me to further explore biological systems. These research experiences have given me the opportunity to develop skills in other areas such as statistical analysis and data management. Currently, as a newly appointed Research Associate in the Chapkin Lab, part of my duties involve lab oversight, transgenic mouse genotyping and breeding.