Carla is an accomplished engineer and current PhD candidate at the University of Oxford, specializing in tissue engineering and traumatic injuries. Her groundbreaking work includes developing a 3D microvascular network model. As an expert partner with BIOMATDB, an EU-funded initiative, she contributed to creating an AI-powered biomaterials database validated by experts. Carla holds a Master of Science in Nanomedicine (University of Oxford) and a first-class BEng from Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico.
Her leadership spans international humanitarian and research projects, such as leading an expedition to study environmental history in Príncipe, improving education in Uganda, enhancing healthcare for refugees in Bulgaria, designing ventilators for COVID-19 patients in the UK, and leading disaster relief efforts in Mexico. Carla’s achievements have earned her prestigious awards like the E&T Innovation Awards and Oxford’s Vice-Chancellor’s Positive Social Impact Award.
On her upcoming expedition, Carla will investigate microbiome biodiversity in Greenland and Arctic Canada. By systematically sampling microbes and recording data such as GPS coordinates and temperature, she aims to uncover microbial dark matter—novel species and functional genes—addressing critical knowledge gaps in these remote regions.