Rodrigo Monjaraz Ruedas

PI: Dr. Marshal Hedin

Area of research: Molecular phylogeography and phylogenomics of spiders 

What excites you about your current SDSU postdoc position?

My postdoc research is part of an NSF Collaborative Research grant between San Diego State
University and the University of California, Davis, focused on phylogenomics and spatial
phylogenetics of trapdoor spiders in California. Trapdoor spiders are extremely homogenous in
their morphology and for instance extremely hard to identify, which has result in a
underestimation of their true diversity, using genomic scale data and one of the most extensive
sampling ever done in the CAFP, collected in the last 20 years and comprising around 10 genera
and 120 species with more than 2500 samples, I’m using novel methods to estimate genetic and
phylogenetic diversity across California both to learn more about trapdoor spider biodiversity.

Can you tell us a little bit about the cutting edge research/scholarship you are doing? What key questions is your work answering?

I’ve always been a cave lover, not only for the amazing rock formations inside the caves but also
for the incredible environment they represent, especially the fauna inhabiting them. When I was
an undergrad, I was amazed by the large diversity of arthropods I found inside caves. Arachnids
was the group that captured my attention the most, which sparked my interest to pursue a career
in arachnid biology and evolution. I grew up as an arachnologist reading the amazing research
from the Hedin Lab so joining the Hedin lab as a postdoc was a joy and great pleasure to me. I
am excited to be involved in the cutting edge research, learning and contributing to novel
methods and techniques to describe the evolution and diversity of arachnid fauna in California.

What is your career trajectory and how is your SDSU postdoc position helping you achieve that?

I grew up in Mexico City and completed my PhD in the Biology Institute there. Arachnology
research in Mexico is still really limited, so one of my career goals is to promote arachnology
and evolution for Mexican students, but also extend it to Latin-American students interested in
arachnids. My current position is helping me acquire more knowledge not only on new methods
and techniques, but also providing me experience with mentoring and teaching by learning new
research philosophies.

Monica Espinoza 

PI: Dr. Faramarz Valafar

Area of research: Role of HSIs in the educational pathways and experiences of Latinx and other minoritized students in STEM

What excites you about your current SDSU postdoc position?

Can you tell us a little bit about the cutting edge research/scholarship you are doing? What key questions is your work answering?

What is your career trajectory and how is your SDSU postdoc position helping you achieve that?

I hope to pursue scientific research as a career through either an academic position or in industry. My current postdoctoral position is providing opportunities to sharpen my investigative skills, refine my analytical approach, and pose meaningful questions at the frontier of science. I am also receiving the opportunity to engage in teaching and mentorship, which I feel are important for the future generations of scientific research. Reaching this new height in my scientific career is very meaningful to me, now with this training I hope to keep climbing to newer heights! 

Mowaffaq Adam
PI: Dr. Christal Sohl
Area of research: cell and molecular biology, biochemistry

What excites you about your current SDSU postdoc position?
 
I am from Sudan, I was born in Abu Dhabi, received my bachelor’s and master’s degree from Bangalore University in India and after the completion of my Ph.D. at University Science Malaysia in Malaysia, I sought a position that fulfill my passion for research and mentoring students, a dream that came to reality only at SDSU. Every day is a great opportunity for learning and self-development at this university and I am so inspired by the mentorship I am receiving from my supervisor Professor Christal Sohl and through mentoring and assisting all graduate and undergraduate students, the Sohlmates. In the Sohl lab, I am leveraging my prior knowledge in molecular and cell biology with the enzymological training I am receiving in this laboratory to understand the biochemistry and the function of mutant enzymes. I hope to unlock  the secrets of enzyme mutations, and how they contribute to the occurrence of cancer. This position is so close to my heart as it is my first step in pursuing my ultimate dream of becoming a successful educator, researcher, and professor. I believe that this is the best place to start my academic journey and the training I am receiving here is the best that I could ever have. 

 
Can you tell us a little bit about the cutting edge research you are doing? What key questions is your work answering?

I am investigating the effect of the isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH1) gene mutation and expression of this mutant protein on cells’ phenotype. IDH1 catalyzes the reversible NADP+-dependent conversion of isocitrate to α-ketoglutarate (α-KG) to provide critical cytosolic substrates and drive NADPH-dependent reactions like lipid biosynthesis and antioxidant regeneration. Mutant IDH1 catalyzes the conversion of α-KG to the oncometabolite D2HG, causing gene hypermethylation that drives tumor formation. IDH1 point mutations have been  reported in ~85% of lower-grade gliomas and secondary glioblastomas, ~12% of acute myeloid leukemias, and ~40% of chondrosarcomas.  In my work, I am creating cellular models that mimic mutant IDH1-driven tumors so we can understand the cellular consequences of mutants we have shown to have widely varying catalytic properties. This work will provide us with an insight into the role of D2HG in tumor formation. 

What is your career trajectory and how is your current postdoc position helping you achieve that?
 
Teaching and conducting research are my ultimate goals, and both bring joy and purpose to my life. I am taking this opportunity as a postdoc at SDSU to gain the knowledge and skills that will allow me to succeed as an educator and researcher. For my future as an educator, this post will develop my sense of leadership, enhance my approach to mentoring students and guide them in developing their mindset and academic growth. I also have a great opportunity to improve my critical thinking, research approach, construction of hypotheses, and writing skills, and can prepare for my future career goal as a principal investigator by providing me with opportunities to apply for grants. Being a postdoc at SDSU is not all about research but also about serving the local community through being involved with organizations such as MARC and IMSD programs that support and foster intelligent young scientists from diverse groups. This post has changed my life for the better and I am excited to inspire future students for a better future and scientific community. 

Victoria Rodriguez-Operana

PI: Dr. Felisha Herrera Villarreal

Area of research: Role of HSIs in the educational pathways and experiences of Latinx and other minoritized students in STEM

What excites you about your current SDSU postdoc position?

I currently serve as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow for the Research and Equity Scholarship Institute on Student Trajectories in Education (RES-ISTE) at San Diego State University. Prior to joining the RES-ISTE team, I earned my B.A. in Psychology from University of California, San Diego and completed my M.A. and Ph.D. in Education with an emphasis in Human Development and Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). One of the most exciting aspects of my current SDSU postdoc position is the ability to engage in education research centering the communities in my hometown. As the granddaughter of Filipino and CHamoru families who arrived in San Diego by way of the U.S. Navy, I was born and raised in San Diego; this is home. Along with my mentor, RES-ISTE Director and PI Dr. Felisha Herrera Villarreal, I co-lead our RES-ISTE research team on multiple National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded projects focused on Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) in the San Diego/Imperial Valley region and across the nation. I have been blessed with the opportunity to collaborate with some of the best and brightest colleagues and students in the region to conduct research on issues related to educational equity, really pushing the field forward in terms of understanding how we can better serve and support minoritized students in STEM. Sharing my passion for research and building community with my mentor and mentees in this supportive space has been extremely rewarding. 

Can you tell us a little bit about the cutting edge research/scholarship you are doing? What key questions is your work answering?

Our work at the Research & Equity Scholarship Institute broadly examines the role of community colleges and HSIs in the educational pathways and experiences of Latinx and other minoritized students STEM through several projects funded by NSF: ED-SYSTEMS (DUE-1644990), HSI-STEM (DUE-1832528), and NSF INCLUDES ALRISE Alliance (HRD-212002). It has been amazing to see how each successive project has built upon the last. ED-SYSTEMS (DUE-1644990) allowed us to examine the STEM pathways of Latinx and other minoritized students, with a particular focus on those who began at community colleges, successfully transferred to four-year institutions and attended HSIs. We also deepened our understanding of students’ lived experiences navigating STEM across multiple institutions qualitatively through focus groups and digital narrative interviews. Engaging in conversations with students yielded powerful stories that informed our work on HSI-STEM (DUE-1832528). This project is supported by NSF’s Improving Undergraduate STEM Education: Hispanic-Serving Institutions Program (HSI Program), which aims to enhance undergraduate STEM education and build capacity at HSIs. The most exciting aspect of this work was the opportunity to partner with HSI community colleges in the region. Through interviews with faculty, staff, and administrators, we learned so much about HSI- and STEM-focused initiatives across multiple campuses and potential opportunities for further development of support for students. Our latest efforts with the NSF INCLUDES ALRISE Alliance (HRD-212002), further builds upon this work by developing an HSI network of faculty, staff, administrators, and students at 2-yr and 4-yr HSIs and emerging HSIs. With servingness and intentionality to serve Latinx students at the forefront, the ALRISE alliance is focused on providing culturally-responsive experiential learning opportunities for Latinx students in STEM and building capacity across institutions. 

What is your career trajectory and how is your SDSU postdoc position helping you achieve that?

My lifelong goal has been to work in a field that allows me to improve the lives and experiences of those in my community. My work as a postdoctoral research fellow with RES-ISTE has allowed me to pursue those goals through education research, with an emphasis on servingness and understanding the ways that we as institutions and institutional agents can intentionally serve the students in our communities. This important research was made possible through the collaborative efforts of my mentor, Dr. Herrera, and the many individuals (postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students, and alum) that have been an integral part of the RES-ISTE familia. I have learned so much from this amazing group. I am especially grateful for the sense of community that we have collectively created and maintained over the years. As I progress in my career as a scholar and educator, I aspire to center community in all my endeavors.