Program: Biochemistry and Cell Biology
Home Country: Mexico
Pronouns: he/his
Universities: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Languages: Spanish / English

I was born on the outskirts of Mexico City, raised by a resilient single mother who constantly faced financial challenges. At ten, we moved to Baja California, a border state for better opportunities. During this time, I often heard about Mexico’s top university, UNAM, and it became my dream school. Eventually, I returned to the suburbs of Mexico City, got accepted to UNAM, and graduated as a Biologist. I later completed my master’s studies in Biochemistry following the interest I acquired in BSc in epigenetics and structural biology. After my mother’s passing, I applied for the Fulbright-García Robles Scholarship, partly to cope with the loss. Now, I’m a PhD student at Rice University, researching DNA recorders and synthetic biology in the Loveless Lab, where I work to advance molecular tools that capture cellular events.

On Houston: 

What I enjoy most about Rice is its beautiful campus, with abundant trees and peaceful green spaces that make it a pleasure to walk through. As for Houston, I love the variety of international cuisine; the dining experiences have been fantastic, with high-quality food at relatively affordable prices.

On Fulbright:

What I value most about the Fulbright program is the incredible community it has given me. While the prestige of Fulbright is undeniable and opens doors, the strongest impact has been the friendships I’ve formed with fellow scholars in Mexico and the close-knit, supportive network at Rice. This community has been a crucial source of support, especially in challenging times.

Fun Fact:

I used to work in a call center immediately after college and at some point it looked like I was never going back to do science.