Cristina is from Mexico and graduated from UIUC with her PhD in 2023. She earned her B.S. in Food Science from the Autonomous University of Queretaro. She first came to the lab for a summer internship in 2018, then started her grad school journey in Fall 2019.

She uses a high-throughput system to test the effectiveness of novel antimicrobials, such as essential oils, against Listeria monocytogenes on deli-ham. She also focuses her research on understanding the action mechanisms of these compounds using RNA-seq.

She enjoys cooking and watching series (Especially, Grey’s Anatomy on repeat).