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