I am a PhD Candidate at the Department of Combinatorics and Optimization of the University of Waterloo. My supervisor is Olya Mandelshtam. 

I did my Master's in Mathematics at Universidad de los Andes in Colombia, under the supervision of Carolina Benedetti Velásquez and Kolja Knauer. In the same university, I studied my Bachelor's in both Mathematics and Physics.

My research focuses on algebraic and bijective combinatorics, especially on their interplay with Markov chains, orthogonal and symmetric polynomials, and crystals; also with lattice polytopes (especially alcoved polytopes!). I am passionate about research questions where the algebraic structure sheds light on the combinatorics of discrete objects, and also where the study of the properties of such objects reveals new perspectives on the structures they are related to.

Apart from math, here are some fun facts about me:

• My most-liked Pokémon are Ghost-type, and my favorite one is Mimikyu.

• I collect pins from places I have visited and put them on my colorful Wayuu mochila. 

• I really like N3DS and GBA games!

You can contact me at: j2valenc [at] uwaterloo [dot] ca