About Me

I am an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics at The University of Texas at Tyler, with a joint courtesy appointment in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics in the School of Medicine.

Prior to joining UT Tyler, I was a postdoctoral associate in the Laboratory for Systems Medicine at the University of Florida, working under the supervision of Dr. Luis Sordo Vieira. I also completed postdoctoral training at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in the Department of Pediatrics where I worked in the Laboratory of Dr. Amber Smith.

I obtained my PhD in Mathematics at the University of Pittsburgh, working under the supervision of Dr. Jonathan Rubin and Dr. David Swigon, and in close collaboration with Dr. Gilles Clermont. Prior to that, I earned a Master’s in Mathematics at East Tennessee State University under the direction of Dr. Ariel Cintron-Arias. I completed my undergraduate studies in Mathematics at Universidad de Costa Rica.

I specialize in developing mathematical models—both theoretical and data-driven—to elucidate the intricate dynamics of pathogenic infections with the immune system. My primary focus is on using these models to better understand the interplay between cellular metabolism, energy production, and consumption during infections, investigating whether disruptions in energy availability contribute to systemic inflammation and sepsis. Additionally, I am interested in data and statistical analysis within the public health and the biomedical field. My approach involves leveraging machine learning tools to extract pertinent information and used this information to develop probabilistic or deterministic mathematical models to test and create new hypotheses.

More generally, I am interested in using mathematical tools to study the underlying dynamics of problems arising from immunology, oncology, epidemiology, population dynamics, infectious diseases, and many other areas of the life sciences.