Dr. Leonila Lagunes received her Bachelor of Arts in Applied Mathematics from California State University Fullerton and PhD in Biological Sciences with a focus on computational biology from the University of California Irvine under the supervision of both Drs. Lee Bardwell (Developmental and Cell Biology) and German Enciso (Mathematics). Currently, she is working in Dr. Eric Deeds’ lab, studying the proteasome assembly from both a systems biology approach and an experimental one. Her professional goals include teaching and conducting research. When Dr. Lagunes is not in the lab, she spends time bullet journaling, creating stationary and taking care of her many houseplants. Having a highly interdisciplinary training, she hopes to provide an inclusive and equitable environment for all students, including those with similar backgrounds and identities as her own.