Alejandro Olaya-Muñoz

I am a Mechanical Engineer with a Master's degree in Materials Science from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. During my master's, I focused on the multiphysics simulation of solid-state systems, where I gained a strong background in transport phenomena, statistical mechanics, and various computational simulation techniques in continuous media. I am currently in the final stages of my Ph.D. in Materials Science, with a focus on molecular engineering, seeking to combine non-condensed matter physics, applied mathematics, and molecular biology to understand relevant phenomena in biological systems.

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As a research scientist in the Genetics lab at UW-Madison, my work centers on developing a physical model to study second-order electrostatic interactions. In this context, the polarization of dielectric bodies is central to colloid science, the design of hierarchical materials, and for gaining a deeper understanding of interactions in biological systems, such as protein/receptor, RNA/RNA, and protein/protein complexes.

Additionally, I have developed a hybrid methodology using a coarse-grained model and Monte Carlo simulations to investigate the aggregation of supramolecular structures of RNP granules, which are found experimentally during zebrafish oogenesis. My goal is to explain the molecular mechanisms of their aggregation and compaction from a purely physical perspective.

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In my free time, I enjoy jogging, reading, playing video games, and cooking. I am currently learning French. I am a great animal lover and shared 14 wonderful years with my English beagle, Bruno. I am deeply passionate about mythology, particularly Greek and Norse, and I enjoy reading philosophy, especially the Greek and Roman classics.