What is your position or role in the DESI project?
I’m a junior researcher at the University of Guanajuato. I was recently appointed to be co-chair of the Lyman-alpha working group.
Where were you born?
I was born in Metepec, a small town in Estado de México in México country. This town is nowadays considered a “Pueblo Mágico” (Magic or charming town).
Where do you live now?
I’m now based at León city in the state of Guanajuato. It is very close to Guanajuato, one of the most beautiful cities in México. Interestingly León, and Guanuajuato, host many international events annually, like a Ballon festival, the Rally, and the Cervantino, just to mention some.
What do you as part of DESI?
As co-chair of the Lyman-alpha WG I’m starting to help coordinate the WG tasks. I also test and help to improve some of the code used in the WG. For example, I’ve been working with the code that will be used to determine the quasar redshifts, using it in simulated quasars, where we know the truth, so that we can know how well this codes performs. I also help graduate students, mostly from the University of Guanajuato, to develop their projects within DESI.
What is the most interesting or exciting thing about DESI?
For me the most intriguing aspect of astronomy/cosmology is the nature of Dark Energy and Dark Matter. Contributing to know more about this two mysterious components of our Universe is just astounding. Even though DESI is mostly focused on Dark Energy (as the name says so), the gathered information will also be very helpful to understand Dark Matter. Now that I’m closely following the status of the project I realize how much work is involved, and that is truly a huge effort from many people. I’m so excited about all the science and knowledge that is being developed every day.
What do you do for fun?
I walk my dogs, morning and afternoon. I enjoy having BBQs and cooking at home, specially if we have friends over. I’m really interested in the popularization of science, for girls mostly, so I dedicate some of my free time to a community, where we organize and give small workshops, talks, and science shows. I hope some of them in the future will become scientists.
