Program: Computational Neuroscience
Home Country: Mexico
Universities: Instituto Politécnico Nacional
Email: itzel.olivos@rice.edu

I am a Ph.D. student working at Xaq Pitkow’s Lab. We aim to understand how the brain works using mathematical principles. In particular, I study perception and control mechanisms that give biological organisms an advantage over machines. I believe that a better understanding of the human brain, which is the most sophisticated adaptive reasoning engine known so far, is essential to build the next generation of Artificial Intelligence systems: more robust, more general-purpose, less artificial, and more intelligent! Before being awarded a Fulbright-Garcia Robles fellowship and becoming a proud Rice Owl, I used to develop Full-Stack Machine Learning solutions as a private consultant. About my academic training, I am Politécnico de Corazón! I hold a bachelor’s degree (Telematics Engineering) and master’s degree (Computer Science) from Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN-Mexico).

On Rice:

I love the interdisciplinary education, the supportive faculty, and the beautiful roads surrounded by oak trees.

On Fulbright:

I love the opportunity to meet people from all over the world who share the same dreams and ideals.

Fun Fact:

I earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do some years ago and, as a good Mexican, I love boxing.