Ph.D. Candidate - Department of Biology
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Biomechanics | Behavior | Form and Function
About me
My curiosity about animal function is the product of my years as a swimmer and my brother’s battle with cancer. As a swimmer, I felt intrigued by the mechanisms behind the movements and the strategies used to perform efficiently in water. At the same time, watching how the different surgeries impose locomotor limitations on my brother, made me wonder about the different systems in the body and their control.
These questions led me to study biology (Universidad de los Andes), where I was introduced to the concept of biomechanics, which laid the foundations of my scientific path. Joining Dr. Carlos Sarmiento’s Insect Systematic and Comparative Biology lab (Universidad Nacional de Colombia), I completed my undergraduate thesis with a comparative study of the thoracic structure and flight musculature of social tropical wasps.
Currently I am a Ph.D. candidate in Ecology, Evolution, & Organismal Biology in the Department of Biology at UNC Chapel Hill with advisor Dr. Tyson Hedrick. I study bird flight in the air-water interface, focusing on behavior over and on water leading to different level of interactions with water in phylogenetically diverse groups of bird species. During my time at UNC, I have taught several undergraduate lab courses, have mentored high school and undergraduate students interested in science and biomechanics, and have participated in several outreach events taking bird flight and muscular function into different learning spaces (science fairs, science days, workshops).
Luis Ernesto (brother), Greg (coach), and me circa 1998
After graduation I moved to Pennsylvania as a graduate student in Kinesiology (Penn State) with advisor Dr. John Challis. There I engaged in human biomechanics research, and continued to develop an interest in muscular function. This directed my thesis work into human muscle architectural properties.
Before my Ph.D., I worked in spinal cord injury research (University of Louisville), participating in several projects including trunk and lower extremity control, respiratory performance, and neural signaling. To complement my job, I completed a M.S. in Biostatistics (UofL). Although these experiences were engaging, they placed me far from the animal movement mechanisms that intrigue me the most, so I decided that a Ph.D. was my next step.
Along with my professional development, I am also co-founder of LASE, Latinas Advocating for Science Education, an organization that seeks to promote Latine students wanting to continue into higher education.