A. Torres Castañeda
Ciudad de México
Summary
Molecular biologist and conservationist with a Master's degree in Conservation Biology and more than 6 years of experience in interdisciplinary research. International experience in prestigious laboratories, specialising in molecular techniques, phylogenetics, and evolutionary ecology. Advanced analytical skills and proficiency in multiple languages.
Overview
7
7
years of professional experience
Work History
Teaching Assistant
University of Queensland
01.2023
- Led laboratory sessions, designed teaching materials, and graded exams and reports for a group of 60 students.
- School of Biological Sciences
Research Assistant
Centre for Emerging Bacterial Infections (EBI)
12.2023 - 05.2024
- Investigated antibiotic resistance mechanisms in Acinetobacter baumannii using real-time PCR and electroporation.
- Skills: Molecular microbiology, qPCR, bacterial transformation techniques.
- Mahidol University
Research Assistant
Regional R&D Training Centre for Insect Biotechnology
12.2023 - 05.2024
- Participated in the characterisation of antimicrobial peptides derived from the insect immune system.
- Skills: RNA extraction, gene cloning, mass spectrometry.
- Mahidol University
Research Assistant
Plant Evolutionary Ecology, Tsuchimatsu Lab
02.2023 - 05.2023
- Analysed genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) data to study local adaptation in Mimulus guttatus.
- Skills: GBS data analysis, population genetics, GWAS.
- Osaka University
Research Assistant
Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science
01.2021 - 01.2022
- Collaborated on a project assessing the impact of climate change on Amazonian amphibian biodiversity using ecological models in R and next-generation sequencing data.
- Skills: Bioinformatic analysis (R, Python), NGS sequencing, ecological niche modelling.
- University of Queensland
Research Assistant
Institute for Molecular Bioscience
01.2021 - 01.2022
- Supported research on centipede venom toxins for potential pharmaceutical use by performing protein purification (HPLC) and biological activity assays.
- Skills: High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), electrophoresis, cell culture, enzyme assays.
- University of Queensland
Research Assistant
Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB)
02.2019 - 05.2019
- Collaborated on a project on early development in Drosophila melanogaster, performing genetic crosses and mutant analyses.
- Skills: Drosophila genetics, microinjection, fluorescence microscopy.
- Yale University
Research Assistant
Laboratory of Genome Structure and Function
01.2017 - 01.2018
- Investigated the role of condensin complexes in the 3D organisation of the yeast genome using ChIP-seq.
- Skills: ChIP-seq, immunoprecipitation, confocal microscopy.
- Osaka University
Research Assistant
Laboratory of Comparative Neurobiology
01.2017 - 01.2018
- Assisted in the study of neural circuits of learning in cephalopods by performing dissections and immunohistochemical staining.
- Skills: Neural tissue dissection, immunohistochemistry, image analysis.
- Osaka University
Education
M.Sc. - Conservation Biology
University of Queensland
Australia01.2024
B.Sc. - Environmental Technology Engineering
Open and Distance University of Mexico (UNAdM)
Mexico01.2025
B.Sc. - Molecular Biology
Autonomous Metropolitan University, Cuajimalpa Campus (UAM-C)
Mexico01.2019
Skills
- PCR/qPCR
- Molecular Cloning
- Electrophoresis
- Chromatography
- Cell Culture
- NGS Sequencing
- ChIP-seq
- Histological Techniques
- R
- Python
- Pandas
- Scikit-learn
- SPSS
- Excel
- Bioinformatics
- BLAST
- Galaxy
- Linux
- Bash
- Biological sampling
- Biodiversity censuses
- Wildlife capture and marking techniques
- GPS
- GIS
- QGIS
- ArcGIS
- Statistical modelling
- Phylogenetics
- BEAST
- MrBayes
- Technical-scientific English
Idiomas
Spanish
English
Catalan
French
Portuguese
German
Russian
Timeline
Research Assistant
Centre for Emerging Bacterial Infections (EBI)
12.2023 - 05.2024
Research Assistant
Regional R&D Training Centre for Insect Biotechnology
12.2023 - 05.2024
Research Assistant
Plant Evolutionary Ecology, Tsuchimatsu Lab
02.2023 - 05.2023
Teaching Assistant
University of Queensland
01.2023
Research Assistant
Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science
01.2021 - 01.2022
Research Assistant
Institute for Molecular Bioscience
01.2021 - 01.2022
Research Assistant
Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology (MCDB)
02.2019 - 05.2019
Research Assistant
Laboratory of Genome Structure and Function
01.2017 - 01.2018
Research Assistant
Laboratory of Comparative Neurobiology
01.2017 - 01.2018
B.Sc. - Environmental Technology Engineering
Open and Distance University of Mexico (UNAdM)
B.Sc. - Molecular Biology
Autonomous Metropolitan University, Cuajimalpa Campus (UAM-C)
M.Sc. - Conservation Biology
University of Queensland
Publicaciones
- Torres, A., Proietti, C., et al., 2024, Venom peptides from Scolopendra subspinipes as potential novel antimicrobial agents., Toxins, 16, 3, 145
- Castañeda, A., & Mayfield, M., 2023, Integrating Phylogenetics and Remote Sensing for Conservation Prioritisation of Cloud Forest Flora., Conservation Biology, 38, 2, 450-462
- Torres, A., 2023, Decoding the evolutionary history of island mollusks: A genomic approach., Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution (SMBE) Annual Meeting, Vienna, Austria
Personalizado
- Dr Margaret Mayfield, Head, School of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne, margie.mayfield@unimelb.edu.au
- Dr. Carla Proietti, Research Fellow, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland, c.proietti@uq.edu.au