Research

Research Experience:

• Postdoctoral Scientist, Morgan Lab

Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, MA, USA

• Guest Researcher, Edgcomb Lab, Woods Hole Oceaonographic Insisitution Woods Hole, MA, USA
• PhD Student Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
• University of Waikato, Centre for Biodiversity and Ecology Research, New Zealand.
• Northwestern University, Dept. of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Cell Biology, IL, USA.
• Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México, Instituto de Investigacion Biomedica, México DF, México

Laboratory techniques

Behavioural studies:

• Setups to assess individual behavioural capacities.
• Long duration behavioural experiments (up to 20 days)
• BioWatch: multiple target tracking (in collaboration with Yogesh Girdhar Centre for Intelligent Machines, McGill)

DNA work:

• Bar coding ( DNA purification, PCR and sequence analysis).
• Gene annotation (participation in two collaborative Ant Genome projects)

RNA work:

• cDNA library
• Gene cloning
• dsRNA synthesis
• Gene expression: in situ hybridization and PCR
• Gene expression quantification: qPCR design

Protein work :

• immuno-histochemistry in tissue slices and whole mounts
• electrophoresis and western blots
• protein interaction analysis through pulldowns
• protein expression analysis through 2D-electophoresis
• protein overexpression and purification for crystallography

Other:

• High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) measurement of biogenic amines in single ant brains.
• Production of developmental timeline (barrel specification in rat somatosensory cortex)
• Histological techniques
• Measurement of reactive oxygen species in cultured cerebellum neurons.
• Classic bacterial genetics (conjugation, transduction, transformation).
• Ames mutagenesis assays.

Animal collection and care:

• Field collection of ant colonies
• Maintenance of ant colonies in laboratory

Software and Programming Languages:

• LaTex
• Mathematica, R.
• Genious
• ImageJ
• JWatcher

Languages:

• English
• Spanish