Cesar L. Cuevas-Velazquez - PI
cuevas@quimica.unam.mx
Cesar grew up in Jojutla, Morelos - the home of the best rice in the world. He is a biochemical engineer from Instituto Tecnológico de Zacatepec. For his PhD in biochemical sciences, Cesar fell in love with Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (IDPs). He worked with a group of dehydration-induced Arabidopsis IDPs at Alejandra Covarrubias lab (Instituto de Biotecnología, UNAM). He then joined the lab of José Dinneny at the Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science and the Biology Department, Stanford University, where he used the flexible properties of plant IDPs to develop novel tools for tracking the intracellular osmotic environment. Since August 2019, he started his research group at the Biochemistry Department of the School of Chemistry (Facultad de Química), UNAM (Mexico City).
Cesar has blue heart and golden skink (GO PUMAS! ). When he is not in lab, he is taking care of a large cacti and succulents collection, a 60 gallon aquarium, a bunch of orchids and a couple of Pomeranians. He loves to cook, eat and travel the world with his wife. 
Esaú Rodríguez - Postdoc
esau.erm@gmail.com
​Esaú is an Industrial Chemical Engineer, with a minor in polymers from Instituto Politécnico Nacional (IPN). He has a Master's degree in Environmental Sciences and Engineering with expertise in Atmospheric Chemistry from UAM-Azcapotzalco. He did his PhD in Chemistry at CINVESTAV working with copper-alpha-synuclein interactions in the lab of Liliana Quintanar. He joins the lab to develop IDP-based FRET biosensors to track the effects of environmental perturbations in living cells. Out of the lab, Esaú enjoys listening to metal music, eating a lot, visiting new places and learning languages.​
Constanza Enriquez-Toledo - Graduate student
constoledo705@gmail.com
​Constanza has a B.Sc. in Biology from School of Sciences, UNAM. She comes to our lab from Patricia León's group at IBT, UNAM, where she generated genetic tools to study the transcriptional regulation of the MEP pathway. In our lab, she will screen a library of IDPs to develop new environmentally-regulated biosensors. She wants to pursue a PhD and a postdoc to eventually establish in the biotech industry. Constanza enjoys her free time reading, painting, drawing, dancing and traveling. 
Itzel Meneses-Reyes - Graduate student 
itzel.mere21@gmail.com
​Itzel is a chemical pharmacobiologist undergrad (last semester) at the School of Chemistry, UNAM. She did her undergrad in our lab focusing on understanding the molecular basis of osmotic-induced phase transitions. She is now starting as a graduate student in the lab where she will generate plants expressing fluorescent biosensors to keep track of osmotic variations in living cells. Itzel would like to try the exciting journey of academia. Out of lab, she enjoys reading, swimming, listening to good music, eating tasty food, travel around and dancing.  
Daniela Palomino-Navarrete - Graduate student 
dann.navarrete1@gmail.com
​Daniela is a chemical pharmacobiologist undergrad (last semester) at the School of Chemistry, UNAM. She did her undergrad thesis at the National Institute of Genomics Medicine (INMEGEN) where she used transcriptomics to understand how bisphenols might contribute to prostate cancer. In our lab she will use in silico, in vitro, and in vivo approaches to elucidate how desiccation-induced IDPs confer desiccation tolerance to cells. Science is her passion so she aims to lead her own research group in the future. Daniela likes science outreach and in her spare time she is a traveler who loves riding her bike, dancing, painting, singing and acting.
Rocío Alcántara-González - Graduate student
roo.brocoli@gmail.com
​Rocío is a biology undergrad from FES Iztacala. She wants to go take the academic path to help in endangered plant species conservation and propagation. In the lab, Rocío will jump start the environmentally-regulated IDR-containing transcription factors project. She likes science outreach and on her free time she loves gardening and traveling to see the country's natural landscapes.
Diego Pérez-Villanueva - Graduate student
diegopvillanuev@gmail.com
​​Diego is a chemical pharmacobiologist undergrad at the School of Chemistry, UNAM. He aims to go for a PhD and a postdoc. He is very excited to experience research abroad at some point of his career. Diego first joined the lab to investigate how pH may regulate stress response and now he is diving into the mechanisms of desiccation tolerance of different organisms. He enjoys taking trips to practice scuba diving, and he is a big sports and video games fan.  
Brenda Sánchez-Guillén - Undergrad
arlequinsanchez@gmail.com
Brenda is a chemical pharmacobiologist undergrad at the School of Chemistry, UNAM. She seeks to continue in the area of clinic diagnostic and go to grad school at some point. In the lab, Brenda aims to generate drought tolerant plants by expressing Tardigrade Disordered Proteins. When not in the lab, she likes to bike, make drawings and go camping.
César Ponce-Diego - Graduate student
CesarPonce.CSP@outlook.com​
César is a chemical pharmacobiologist undergrad at the School of Chemistry, UNAM. He is skilled in coding and would like to have a rewarding career in the field of bioinformatics. He would like to work abroad at some point of his academic path. César will measure the structural sensitivity of intrinsically disordered activation domains of Arabidopsis transcription factors in vivo. Out of the lab, he likes to walk around without destination for hours. He also enjoys science communication and outreach. 
SOCIAL SERVICE, SHORT STAYS AND MORE
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​Gala López-Herrera - Undergraduate