I joined the BrainGate team in November 2023, and work under the supervision of Daniel Rubin, MD, PhD, and Leigh Hochberg, MD, PhD. I work on speech decoding of attempted speech in individuals with ALS using microelectrode arrays chronically placed in the motor cortex.I received my PhD in 2023 in Speech & Hearing Bioscience & Technology, an interdisciplinary and interinstitutional program based at Harvard Medical School. I performed my dissertation work in the Human Health and Performance Systems group at MIT Lincoln Laboratory under the supervision of Thomas Quatieri, PhD, and Christopher Smalt, PhD. While a student, I was a fellow of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). For my dissertation, I leveraged computational modeling and non-invasive cortical recordings to study auditory attention decoding and to model hearing-impaired speech perception in multi-talker environments.I am Mexican-American and self-identify as a first-generation low-income (FGLI) college student while pursuing my education. I am also passionate about facilitating greater Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging (EDIB) across academia’s branches of service, teaching, and research. MITES 2011 alumn!