I grew up in Puerto Rico, surrounded by nature, catching lizards and with a cow in my backyard, which sparked my interest in all things biology. I am a bilingual scientist-turned-communicator and tap into my training (a PhD in neurobiology), personal background, and culture (a woman from a working-class rural community in Puerto Rico) to engage historically marginalized audiences, especially Puerto Ricans and other Spanish-speakers, with science.

I apply a cultural lens to science communication and storytelling to make science more equitable and inclusive. Through filmmaking, the writing of articles, and media engagement, I seek to change stereotypes about scientists of color. I partner with leaders from marginalized communities to increase their capacity to use science to address their needs and priorities.

Through science communication trainings and mentoring, I help minoritized scientists step into the power of their identities and stories and support their career development. Through advocacy, I promote science and science-based decision-making in Puerto Rico.

I serve as Director of Public Engagement with Science for Ciencia Puerto Rico (CienciaPR), a non-profit and global community of more than 18,000 scientists, students, educators, and allies creating social impact in Puerto Rico. There, I lead the communications strategy and various efforts for communication and public engagement, including Aquí Nos Cuidamos (Here We Take Care of Each Other), a project that promotes community well-being and prevention, and Laboratorio de Ciencia Comunitaria (Community Science Laboratory or CienciaCoLab), a program that supports community leaders in Puerto Rico to carry out local science projects, offering them mentoring, tools, workshops, and funding. I produce and co-host the only AM radio science segment in Puerto Rico, called Jueves de Ciencia Boricua (Puerto Rican Science Thursdays).

I also serve as Director of Inclusive Science Communication and Engagement for Science Communication Lab (SCL), a nonprofit organization of scientists and filmmakers collaborating on documentaries in order to build a more scientifically-engaged society. I directed and produced “Background to Breakthrough”, a collection of short films challenging deficit narratives about scientists of color and from marginalized backgrounds, and “Coming Home”, a short film that explores how my culture, community, and identities have shaped my work as a scientist and science communicator..

My work has been featured in Telemundo, El Nuevo Día, Latino USA, Scientific American, and Google Arts & Culture, among many others.

I am a member of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine's Standing Committee on Advancing Science Communication, a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a 2020 Emerson Collective Fellow, a Fellow of the U.S.-Japan Leadership Program (2023-2024), and a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences (2024).

I completed my undergraduate degree in human biology at the University of Puerto Rico in Bayamón and my doctorate in neurobiology at Harvard University.