I started working in the field of neurosciences studying the neuroanatomy of the auditory system under the supervision of Dr. Enrique Saldaña at the Institute of Neurosciences of Castilla y Léon (INCyL). During this time, I characterized the connections and cytoarchitecture of auditory subcortical nuclei of rats. 

Then, while applying to do my PhD, I had a brief collaboration with Dr. Fatuel Tecuapetla in the Institute of Cell Physiology (IFC), at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). During this collaboration, my task was to implement and teach neuroanatomical techniques and test optogenetic experiments in mice. 

For my PhD, I went to The University of Queensland where I studied visual learning in teleost. After working with reef fish vision using operant conditioning with Dr. Ulrike Siebeck, I focused my project in the analysis of the whole-brain visual habituation of zebrafish larvae in the Lab of Ethan Scott. This project involved volumetric calcium imaging and behavioural habituation experiments for wild type and mutant larvae, and the analysis of the brain networks as habituation learning is occurs using graph theory. 

Since the completion of my PhD, I joined Misha Ahrens lab at the Janelia Research Campus, where I have continued performing whole-brain imaging in zebrafish larvae to study responses to visual stimuli. In collaboration with a multidisciplinary team, we developed and optimized methods to combine calcium imaging and multiplexed in situ hybridizations using expansion microscopy and custom computational tools. 

I am starting as an Assistant Professor in Molecular and Cellular Neurobiology at the Department of Biology at Utrecht University. I will be studying innate behaviours in larval zebrafish while combining the calcium imaging and spatial transcriptomic techniques that I acquired.

Education:

– PhD at The University of Queensland (Australia). 01/10/2015-20/04/2020. 

PhD Thesis: Visual learning and its underlying neural substrate in two species of teleost fish (Zebrafish and Ambon damselfish). Supervisor: Associate Professor Ethan Scott.

– Master in Neurosciences: University of Salamanca (Spain). 15/07/2013

Master Thesis: The posterior limitans nucleus of the thalamus as target of midbrain auditory centers. Supervisor: Prof Enrique Saldaña.

– Bachelor degree in Psychology: University of Salamanca (Spain). 22/06/2012

Traineeship. Institute of Neurosciences of Castilla y Léon (INCyL). Laboratory 6 of Neurohistology. Supervisor: Prof Enrique Saldaña.