I started working in sPHENIX by the end of 2018 as a postdoc at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

What is the focus of your work on the sPHENIX experiment?

From the beginning as part of the sPHENIX collaboration I have working in the construction and operation of the MVTX detector. Currently I am one of the MVTX experts and we are preparing for the r-einsertion of the detector back int the bore, recommissioning, and preparation for 2024 Run data-taking.

Where were you born and what is your educational background before your current position?

I was born in Havana, Cuba. I did my Bachelor and Master degrese at the High Institute of Applied Science and Technology (InSTEC), Havana, Cuba, and my PhD. at the University of Turin, Italy.

What is the title of your Ph.D. or tentative title? Awards or biggest talk highlight?

My PhD title was Identified hadron distributions in p-Pb collisions at sqrt(sNN) = 5.02 TeV with the Inner Tracking System of ALICE at the LHC. I received RHIC and AGS Merit Award in 2021. My biggest talk was the sPHENIX overview overview talk at SQM 2021.

How did you decide to go into heavy ion or spin research?

After I concluded my Masters in Cuba, I was looking for any opportunity of a post-graduate school in an any physics field outside of my country. Actually, the first time I traveled to Turin I was supposed to work in medical Physics project, MAGIC5 I think. Likely, it was at same the ALICE Turin group was struggling with the construction of the SDD detector for the ALICE ITS, due the lack of man power. That is when after two day in Turin and because my sill in the nuclear instrumentation the SDD's project leader convinced me to expend the 3 month working for ALICE and then the rest is history…

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I love spend time with my family. I also like watch a lot of sport on TV such as European soccer, Baseball, Basketball and Football.

Fun fact?

Well, I don’t know if it counts as a fun fact but probably I have been the first or one of the few person with a cuban citizenship employed by a US national lab.