PEOPLE
Principal Investigator & Lab Director
Ramon A. Jorquera Araya, PhD
Dr. Jorquera is natural from the Copiapo Valley located in the Atacama region of the North of Chile. He obtained his Biochem D. from the Catholic University of Valparaiso in 1999, his Ph.D. from the Universidad Austral de Chile in 2008, and his postdoctoral training at MIT in 2011. In 2012 his started his own lab in Puerto Rico working in the molecular regulation of neurotransmitter release and synaptic plasticity. Together, Dr. Jorquera works focused on promoting and training the scientific workforce diversities for the US in minorities Latino institutions. He is back in Chile since 2019 at the ICB, UNAB. He was awarded by MECESUP, Conicyt, IBRO, PEW, and NIH-NINDS.
Research Associates
Cesar Astorga Ahumada, PhD
Cesar graduated as Medical Technologist and in Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences. he has been working in a non-profit foundation and research lab. His primary interest is to understand the prognosis and treatments of neuromuscular and amyotrophic human diseases. He combines histochemistry, electrophysiology, imaging, and cell culture
Graduate Student
Catalina Ponce
Catalina is a Biotechnology Bachelor and Master of Science from UNAB, Santiago. She is a second-year student in the Ph.D. program in Biomolecular Sciences. Catalina is working on the molecular basis of depression and anxiety using Rat brain slices of the hippocampus. She combines electrophysiology, pharmacology, molecular biology, and behavior. Catalina is in co-mentorship with Dr. Jimmy Stehberg.
Juan Pablo Soffia
Juan Pablo is a Kinesiologist from Univ. Mayor, MS in Molecular Bioscience from UNAB, Santiago. He is a second-year student in the Ph.D. Program in Molecular Biosciences working on the modifiers gene of mitophagy and its role in motor function and life span. Juan Pablo is in co-mentorship with Dr. Alvaro Elorza.
Undergraduate Student
Javier Gomez
Javier is a Biochemist student from UNAB, Santiago. He is interested in Animal behavior, synaptic plasticity, and molecular neuroscience.