8th Annual UVic WIS Research Symposium

Ana was born and raised in warm and sunny Mexico City. Always curious about life’s biggest questions, she decided to pursue an undergraduate program in Mathematics and Astronomy at the University of Victoria. At the end of her first year, she had the opportunity to work on a research project under the supervision of Mallory Thorp and Dr. Sara Ellison in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, thanks to the VKURA research award. Her project focused on understanding how galaxies evolve after they collide and merge with each other – some of the most dramatic and beautiful events in the universe. By analyzing data from hundreds of nearby galaxies, her research explored how these cosmic encounters can trigger intense bursts of star formation at their centers, and how these “merger-driven” starbursts differ from those that happen naturally in calmer, isolated galaxies. Although Ana has since shifted her focus to mathematics in her final years of her studies, she continues to be driven by the same sense of wonder, amazed by both the universe we live in and our ability to understand it. Outside of academics, Ana works as a communications assistant and content creator, and is passionate about dancing, yoga, playing the guitar, and arts and crafts.