Mario Leonel Ramirez
My research is focused on understanding how common air pollutants, such as chemicals in wildfires, cause toxicity to the respiratory system using 3D organotypic culture models of the bronchial epithelium for human risk assessment.
An intense focus on collaboration within studies to address relevant issues as interdisciplinary approaches are needed to solve more complex problems. Superfund research also gives me the opportunity to be more involved not just as a scientist, but as a member of the community by better understanding and advocating for at risk populations.
I hope my research will one day help to inform those in legislative positions and to better equip vulnerable populations with knowledge about environmental exposures to toxicants.
As a child, I was very competitive, and I bet a chocolate milk on the notion that hand sanitizer would run faster than oil on a whiteboard that had been tilted at a 45-degree angle. I lost that bet and immediately developed a strong desire to know more about the world around me before drawing conclusions.
I would like to either enter industry or consulting (maybe even both), but I’m still a bit undecided. Maybe I’ll broaden my horizons within the next few years!
I love cooking, listening to music, playing soccer, petting my cat, and making aquariums. I also enjoy computer strategy games like Stellaris, for example.