Carmen Sánchez Moreno

What inspired you to pursue your field of study?

The moment I realized I would like to pursue Biology as a profession was during high school. I had an amazing discussion with my teacher about the processes that fuel the adaptations of organisms as they originate and evolve in ever-changing environments. I became particularly interested in understanding proximate mechanisms of molecular biology and development from an evolutionary perspective, and this interest led me to seek out research and study opportunities in molecular cell biology and evolution.

What achievement are you most proud of?

I have had the opportunity to present a poster at an International Evolutionary Conference in Montreal, Canada, and I gave a presentation at an invited symposium at the Congress of the European Society for Evolutionary Biology in Barcelona, Spain. Attending these international conferences gave me the opportunity to engage with top-level scientists in the field that helped me develop future research questions that I would like to explore, and I have had the chance to discuss interesting possible experiments.

What motivates you to keep pushing forward, even during difficult times? 

My passion to find answers to the most fundamental questions in evolutionary developmental biology and my determination to learn and build the necessary tools. If an issue bugs me and I keep thinking about it, I set myself the goal to persevere and find the solution. 

What problem in your field are you most passionate about? 

The idea of self-organization is underexplored. Things are not as precise as we think they are. They just follow certain mathematical rules, but must be flexible enough to adapt to a new environment. I believe that evolution and development are the perfect context to explore these ideas. 

What are your plans after graduation?

My ultimate career goal is to become a university professor, to build my own research laboratory and pursue my own research.