Glorianna Gallegos, UCSD

Gloriana is originally from New Mexico and is currently a fifth year PhD student in the Neurobiology section of the Biological Sciences program. She is a member of Dr. Yishi Jin's laboratory, which focuses on axon guidance, synapse formation and neuronal regeneration in C. elegans. Gloriana is interested in the development of a highly specialized structure in neurons: the synapse. Previous work in the lab identified RPM-1 as a negative regulator of a MAPK cascade which is important in synapse formation. Gloriana is currently taking a genetic approach to identify additional components of the RPM-1 pathway and further characterizing how these components play a role in synaptogenesis. Gloriana is a recipient of the Cota-Robles Fellowship, which provided support in her first two years of graduate school. When Gloriana is not in lab, she enjoys bringing science to the community by her involvement in outreach programs such as the Salk Mobile Science lab which teaches middle school students genetics and molecular biology through hands-on experience. After graduate school, Gloriana is interested in pursuing a post-doctoral position where she will explore more neuro-development topics. Her future career goal is to attain a faculty position at a university where she hopes to have a positive impact on the students and surrounding community.