BIOGRAPHY

I was born in 1988 in Monclova, Mexico, a city situated 136 miles from the border with Texas. I obtained my BSc in Chemistry at Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education in 2011. As an undergraduate student I did research internships at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and at the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute in Mexico City. 
 
I received my Ph.D. in Chemistry in 2016 from Rice University. Working in the group of professor James M. Tour and co-supervised by Prof. Angel Martí, I designed and synthesized the first examples of light-activated molecular machines capable of translating on conductive and non-conductive surfaces, enhancing their diffusion in solutions, and selectively killing cancer cells. Additionally, I designed and synthesized a nanocar that can be “driven” on surfaces with high directionality and control. This electrically-driven molecular machine won the first NanoCar Race in 2017 in Toulouse, France. 
 
From 2016 to 2018, I was a postdoctoral researcher in the department of Chemistry at ETH Zürich in Switzerland. Working in the group of professor François Diederich, I designed and synthesized a new class of molecular machines that behave as a molecular gripper, capturing or releasing smaller molecules upon activation. 
 
In October 2018 I started a second postdoc at Rice University. Contrary to my previous work at Rice, my current research is oriented to understand, to optimize, and to modulate the mechanical work generated by molecular machines on plasma membranes, so new therapies are developed. In 2019, I was awarded the Career Award at the Scientific Interface by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. 
 
As a member of Rice University Academy of Fellows, I seek to connect with other colleagues, exchange ideas and experiences, and foster our professional development and scientific collaborations.
 
Outside of work, I enjoy playing softball, running, learning history, and traveling.