About me

I was born and raised in Cali, Colombia, where I did a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at Icesi University. While many chemists are drawn to the lab, I found my passion in the computational side of things instead. This is why quantum chemistry and spectroscopy captivated me since the very first time I was introduced to these fields!

For my final Research Project (an Australian Honours equivalent, with one year of specialised coursework and research combined) I worked on the spectroscopy of cold and ultracold alkali diatomic molecules, using in-house algorithms to calculate their energy levels under such conditions. Working on this project really reinforced my passion for using computational methods to address research questions.

After completing my undergrad, I had the great opportunity to move to Sydney to do my PhD in computational spectroscopy at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) with Dr Laura McKemmish. My research focused on producing infrared spectra for thousands of biosignature molecules to help astronomers shortlist potential molecular candidates to unknown spectral features from exoplanet atmospheres. 

I had an amazing time working on this project as I got the opportunity to work in the interface between spectroscopy, computational chemistry, data science, and the study of exoplanet atmospheres. This experience really helped me shape my research interests and ignited my passion for interdisciplinary science!

While pursuing my PhD, I also enjoyed participating and leading outreach and science communication activates. I think these are great opportunities to 1) engage with the community and disseminate science across diverse audiences (not only with those young minds interested in pursuing science, but also with people that just want to know about it) and 2) highlight and amplify the work of often underrepresented scientists, breaking the stereotype of what a scientist is and looks like.

I see outreach and science communication as a vital part of my research and career, and I am always keen to explore new avenues for making science more accessible to the public.

Outside of research, I enjoyed hiking, stargazing, cooking, and swimming. My unpopular opinion is that I prefer the mountains (specially snowy ones) over the ocean, but I'm always keen for an ocean swim and some spikeball at the beach.

I'm also really passionate about airplanes and love plane spotting! My favourite aircrafts are the Boeing 757 (pencil plane) and the Airbus A340-600, though I haven't had the chance to fly on any of those yet...