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Juan Esteban Zurita
Aspiring scientist. Multidisciplinary engineer with 4 years of research experience in computational chemistry, molecular biology and chemical analysis. Currently I have a great interest for modeling complex and dynamical systems. I math and am very passionate about physics and its applications to biology. I enjoy abstract thinking.
Education
B.Eng. in Biotecnology
Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Quito, Ecuador
2021
Minor Degree in Mathematics
Thesis: Simulation of the hydrolysis reaction of beta-lactam anitbiotics by synthetic organometallic complexes.
B.Sc. in Physics
Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Quito, Ecuador
2023
Research Experience
Systems Biologist
Universidad Autónoma de México, Evolutionary Systems Biology Laboratory
Remote
2021
I perform mathematical simulations of gene expression under the guidance of María Gómez-Schiavon, PhD. We use Julia programming to solve systems of differential equations of the circadian rythms of fungi.
Undergraduate Research Assistant
Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Quito, Ecuador
2015 - 2021
- Computational QM simulations of chemical reactions in a Linux HPC cluster. You can refer to José Mora, PhD.
- Determination of the ancestry and authenticity of shrunken heads from several museums in Ecuador, using mitochondrial DNA and real time PCR data of a sex-determining locus in X and Y chromosomes.
- Detection of cyanide produced by clovers to study plant stress in urban areas. Management of molecular biology reagents and DNA, plant, microbe and animal samples. You can refer to Jaime Chaves, PhD.
- Analysis of chemically modified starch, extracted from Ullucus tuberosus, a native plant from Ecuador, using polarized light microscopy and titration. It was an exploratory study in search of medical applications for modified starches.
Research Intern
Hospital de Los Valles
Tumbaco, Ecuador
2018 - 2021
This project is about the virtual screening of leading compounds for drug discovery. Docking of viral and human proteins was needed to assess appropriate drug targets to treat DENV infections. You can refer to Yovani Marrero Ponce, PhD.
Professional Experience
Data Scientist
Dataland
Quito, Ecuador
2021
Start-up company I began with some colleagues and friends. The main focus of the compnay is to deliver data products and workflows for local companies.
Teacher
Universidad San Francisco de Quito, Learning Center Department
Quito, Ecuador
2021
Taught many subjects at university to students who needed help to understand concepts and practice their skills. Subjects: advanced calculus, differential equations, probability theory, statistics, physics, object oriented programming. I had the opportunity to manage a course of Calculus students and prepare material for their class in Latex.
Food Analyst, intern
Biofruit
Quito, Ecuador
2020
- Design and test of functional beverages from fruit pulp and nutraceutical chemicals.
- Experimental design for sensory evaluation of food.
Cool Projects
Computational Linear Algebra
I am currently writing a book on computational linear algebra with professor Antonio Di Teodoro, PhD.
N/A
2021
RSG Ecuador
I am one of the founders of RSG Ecuador, a non-profit organization that is part of the International Society for Computational Biology Student Council (ISCBSC). We promote Computational Biology in Ecuador. For more information about us, please visit our social networks @rsgecdr. We organized a UNIX programming bootcamp in 2021 to share programming skills needed for bioinformatics. Please, check de github page.
N/A
2020
Publications
Genetic characterization of a collection of Tsantsas from Ecuadorian museums.
Forensic Science International, 110879
N/A
2021
Baquero-Méndez, V., Rojas-López, K. E., Zurita, J. E., Cobo, M. M., Fernandez-Salvador, C., Ordóñez, M. P., & de Lourdes Torres, M
Theoretical Description of R–X⋯ NH3 Halogen Bond Complexes: Effect of the R Group on the Complex Stability and Sigma-Hole Electron Depletion.
Molecules, 25(3), 530.
N/A
2020
Zurita, J., Rodriguez, V., Zambrano, C., Mora, J. R., Rincón, L., & Torres, F. J.
Accomplishments and Awards
Innovation Challenge for more data on labor informality award
Datalat, PNUD Ecuador, UN Women Ecuador, and the International Labour Organization
N/A
2021
The challenge was to design a technological solution to collect labor informality data in Ecuador. There were 39 proposals from 80 teams. My team, Kolekti, won the first prize of 4300 USD. You can read a cool blog about the event here.
Archimedes Scholarship
Universidad San Francisco de Quito
N/A
2021
I was awarded the Archimedes scholarship at USFQ to continue my studies in Physics.