Vanessa Avalos Mora

Education: Associate's in Chemistry — Chabot College; Bachelor's Degree — UC Berkeley; Master's Degree — currently pursuing at San Jose State University

Location: California, USA

Interests: Astrobiology, Art History, Geology, World History, Archeology

Links: LinkedIn

Vanessa Avalos Mora is a current student at San Jose State University. She is pursuing a Master's degree in Chemistry and will be working alongside Dr. Cooper and Dr. Rios on her master’s project discussing the origins of prebiotic chemical processes that may have generated an enantiomer excess in sugars and the connection to the potential for life elsewhere in the universe. She hopes to contribute to the scientific discoveries of how chemistry can help answer fundamental questions. At a young age, her immigrant parents taught her a strong work ethic and shaped the belief that her education and interests could lead her to become someone in life. This led her to choose chemistry as her area of study in hopes of pursuing her academic interests involving planetary science, medicine, and ways in which chemistry can help improve ourselves and our environment. As a participant in the NASA Young Scientist Program, Vanessa is excited to collaborate with fellow students, researchers, and mentors while expanding her knowledge of space-related research. Outside of academics, Vanessa enjoys reading, staying active in her community, and continually seeking opportunities to grow both personally and professionally.

Pronouns: she/hers