I am a research scientist with a strong background in the chemical and biological sciences. I enjoy working across disciplines and connecting research fields. Over the last 16 years, I have mastered multistep organic synthesis, analytical techniques such as mass spectrometry (EI, ESI, MALDI-TOF), spectroscopy (IR, UV, 1/2D-NMR, CD), liquid chromatography (Silica gel, TLC, HPLC, UPLC), manual and automated solid-phase peptide synthesis. In addition, I have seamlessly integrated advanced statistics, structural bioinformatics, and artificial intelligence in natural product drug discovery and peptide drug design campaigns. I contributed to 5 research collaborations involving multiple public-private partnerships. Our strategies were applied to biologically relevant protein targets (kinases, GPCRs, transcription factors) and phenotypic screenings in application to cancer treatments, type 2 diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders, neglected diseases (malaria, leishmania), and antibiotic resistance.

In the last seven years, I have led an independent research laboratory at the Centre for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV-IPN) in Mexico. My research interests lie at the crossroads between protein engineering, drug discovery, and artificial intelligence, helping the development of peptide therapeutics. Together with my students, I have developed statistical pipelines, machine learning / deep learning models, and protein structure predictions to support our peptide design pipeline. We have also tackled limitations linked to biological experimental processes, such as representation learning, data scarcity, and model biases.

After recently returning to Australia, I continue to apply my expertise in statistical analysis, chemo/bioinformatics, machine learning, medicinal chemistry, and protein engineering, primarily to solve human health challenges. I just launched my business, Ingenie Bio, providing consulting and services to academic groups and companies. I am also exploring new leading R&D roles in academic institutions, AI-enabled biotechnology startups and pharmaceutical companies. I am also aware that these technical skills are highly transferable and relevant across other businesses, including animal health, agriculture, material science, and sustainability. Please don't hesitate to get in touch with me.

AI-generated podcast
Structural bias in biological datasets (October 2024)

In the media:
Exploration Science podcast with Dr. Wendy Hartsock and Dr. Diedra Shorty (November 2022)
The Data Pub Youtube channel with Carl Handlin in Mexico City (September 2021)