I am a researcher and computational biologist specializing in human genomics, evolution, and neurogenetics. My research interests focus on elucidating ape- and human-specific genetic and epigenetic changes that have contributed to our complex brain structure, behaviors, and neurodiversity.
Currently, I am a postdoctoral scholar at UCSB, working under the mentorship of Dr. Soojin Yi (UCSB) and co-mentorship of Dr. Kirk Lohmueller (UCLA). I am also an HHMI Hanna Gray Fellow. My research explores human-specific forms of messenger RNA in the brain. In addition, I investigate epigenetic differences between humans and other primates, as well as between neurotypical individuals and those with neuropsychiatric disorders.
Previously, I worked as a postdoctoral scholar in Dr. Jonathan Flint’s lab at UCLA, where I studied the genetic underpinnings of behavior using single-cell multi-omics data in mouse models. I also was a graduate student researcher and later a postdoctoral scholar in Dr. Megan Dennis’s lab at UC Davis, investigating the role of structural variation in brain evolution and neurodevelopmental disorders through both short- and long-read sequencing technologies. Prior to that, I was a bioinformatics research assistant in the Plant Systems Biology Lab at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile under the supervision of Dr. Rodrigo Gutiérrez, where I analyzed plant transcriptomics datasets.
I was born in Santiago, Chile, and I currently live in California, USA, with my husband.