Alicia's interest in human cognition and behavior developed in college, while studying psychology at San Diego State University. It was there that a defining moment occurred — her professor showcased a video demonstrating a monkey's ability to control a robotic arm through a brain-implanted chip, which she thought was “the coolest thing” she’d ever seen. This awe-inspiring moment led Alicia to pivot from a focus in psychology to neurobiology, with the goal of applying her knowledge of the brain, and using that knowledge to achieve something as groundbreaking as what she had seen in the video.

Now, as a postdoctoral researcher at Genentech, Alicia is investigating how our genes contribute to diseases associated with damaged brain cells, called neurodegenerative diseases. Genes function similarly to lights — in the same way adjusting a light's settings can increase or decrease its brightness, modifying a gene’s activity through amplification or suppression can lead to changes in biological actions. Alicia is using CRISPR gene editing technologies to investigate the contribution of each of the 20,000 genes in the human genome to the buildup of harmful proteins linked to neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's. She is working with human neurons, which she can generate in the lab by treating human pluripotent stem cells, (cells that can become any of the cell types in the human body) with specific chemicals. Alicia then systematically turns off each gene in the human genome in these neurons to determine a gene’s contribution to the accumulation of a toxic protein in these cells. Her research could provide a deeper understanding of the genes involved in neurodegenerative diseases and could lead to the development of new treatments for these diseases.

Alicia is not only passionate about the intellectual aspects of scientific research, but also the people she has met in her scientific journey. Not having grown up around scientists, she was surprised by how open and collaborative they are. Throughout her education and career, she has worked to maintain and evolve this aspect of the scientific community. During her tenure as a graduate student at MIT, she uncovered her knack for organizing events that united like-minded individuals. Now an integral part of Genentech's Postdoc committee, Alicia organizes social and networking gatherings for her colleagues, even extending her efforts to reconnecting alumni with the campus community, thereby nurturing ties between current and former postdocs. These events provide invaluable platforms for researchers to establish connections, collaborate, and exchange unique insights. Moreover, Alicia serves as a bridge between her peers and senior leadership, contributing to the enhancement of the postdoc program's overall quality. At Genentech, Alicia has found immense satisfaction in pushing the boundaries of scientific exploration through collaboration.