Hi, I'm Jo! 

Joan was born in Guanajuato, Mexico, and moved to the U.S. at the age of six. He is completing a B.S. in Biochemistry and a B.A. in Chemistry at Washington State University, where he is a 2025 Barry Goldwater Scholar and a NIH MARC Scholar. At Washington State University, he has conducted undergraduate research in organic synthesis, chemical biology, and nanomedicine, focusing on dendrimer-based drug delivery and in vitro studies. He is also conducting computational research with the Ramirez group at the University of Minnesota, where his work centers on investigating Cu-catalyzed dicaborfunctionalization of N-Ts hydrazones using DFT. Outside of the lab, Joan enjoys weightlifting, reading, watching horror movies, and spending time with his cats Ixchel and Kitty. His long-term goal is to become a scientist and mentor the next generation of scientists while advocating for underrepresented students in STEM.