The Team

Dr. Elvira de Mejía

University of Illinois System I-MMÁS Founder & Director of Institutional Relations-Mexico, Professor, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Division of Nutritional Sciences, University Scholar, former Presidential Fellow

Dr. Elvira de Mejia is a Professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, University of Illinois Urbana Champaign Dr. de Mejia served as an Assistant Dean for Research, actively involved in mentoring undergraduate students in research, and junior faculty. Dr. de Mejia functioned as the Director of the Division of Nutritional Sciences, a prestigious University of Illinois interdisciplinary graduate and research program. She is a University Scholar, a former UI System Presidential Fellow, and Institute of Food Technologists Fellow. She is considered a world leader in the health benefits of bioactive compounds from plant foods. She is a firm believer in providing the best learning experience to her students so they can excel in their educational experience, and in turn become more competitive in the job market and make a positive difference in society. She dedicates her research to reducing disease and promoting health and wellness as a global priority. Dr. de Mejia has an outstanding global academic reputation as evidenced by various tasks performed as an external referee for grant applications and member of grant review committees.

Dr. de Mejia believes I-MMÁS represents a culture of support, building pipelines for Mexican and Mexican American students, smoothing the path, and retaining as many talented students as possible. Building a network of collaborators. I-MMÁS is about partnering in collaboration with our colleagues in Mexico. I-MMÁS will enhance ongoing efforts by the System’s three Universities to increase Mexican and Mexican American recruitment and expand their educational opportunities. The mission of I-MMÁS is to enhance educational, cultural, scientific, technical, and social collaborations among the University of Illinois System, Mexican academic institutions, and students, by building and sustaining a large-scale presence in education and research with participating institutions.

Dr. Moises Orozco Villicaña

Lead for Recruitment and Building Relationships in the US

Moises Orozco Villicaña, Ph.D., has successfully held progressively responsible administrative roles in both student and academic affairs at public four-year and two-year institutions of higher education over the past 17 years. He is an accomplished administrator that welcomes the opportunity to provide prospective students with the information and resources they need to successfully navigate the college application process at both the undergraduate and graduate level. His work also demonstrates a deep passion and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. In 2022, he was appointed as the Director of Recruitment and Outreach for the University of Illinois Chicago, which is both a Hispanic Serving Institution and a Minority Serving Institution. Prior to UIC, he served as the inaugural Director of Enrollment Management for the School of Information Sciences at UIUC. He also holds numerous leadership roles in regional and national associations.

Recruitment and Building Relationships in the US: The subgroup seeks to establish ties with both in-state and domestic institutions, organizations, and individuals to foster advantageous relations with both the University of Illinois System and the I-MMÁS initiative. The US recruitment subcommittee is composed of faculty and staff across the University of Illinois System that works collaboratively to identify innovative approaches to recruit and enroll Mexican and Mexican American prospective students to undergraduate and graduate programs in all three campuses in the U of I System. The US Recruitment subcommittee leverages institutional resources and best practices to broaden the visibility of the University of Illinois System to prospective Mexican and Mexican American students.

Dr. Leonardo Chamorro

Lead for Funding and Engaging the Private Sector

Dr. Chamorro is an Associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and is affiliated with the Departments of Aerospace Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Geology. His research interests include turbulence, particle dynamics, boundary layer processes, aerodynamics, turbulence and structure interaction, wind energy, marine and hydrokinetic energies, and the development of advanced flow diagnostics. He has published ~120 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals, has participated in over 125 presentations in technical symposia, and serves as the fellowship panel's scientific chair on Energy, Electrical Eng, Electronics and Mechanics (W&T7) at the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) in Belgium and in the board of directors of the UMERC (University Marine Energy Research Community). Chamorro is Associate Editor of the Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy, the Journal Frontiers in Energy Research, the Journal of Energy Engineering, and an academic editor and member of the editorial board of the journal Energies. He has been a reviewer of forty peer-reviewed journals. He leads the Renewable Energy and Turbulent Environment group, which uses a versatile experimental approach that combines state-of-the-art techniques, including 2D/3D particle image velocimetry, computer vision, and 3D particle tracking velocimetry.

Securing Funding & Engaging Private Sector: The subgroup is exploring various strategies to secure funding and support from the industry and other entities for the I-MMÁS mission. These strategies include industry-led and capstone projects, direct discussions with industry leaders, collaborations with the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), engagement with renowned faculty in Mexico, collaborative proposals, and technical consulting.

Dr. M Lucía Vázquez

Lead for Mentoring & Extended Support

Dr. Vázquez is a biology professor at the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) where she is also the vice chancellor for research and innovation. She was born and raised in Mexico City, Mexico, and earned her undergraduate degree in biology from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Later, she moved to the United States to pursue a Ph.D. in plant biology from Cornell University. After completing her doctoral degree, Vázquez joined UIS as a faculty member and has held various positions, including department chair, associate dean, and interim dean.

Vázquez’s passion for mentoring students began during her undergraduate years when she mentored high school and middle school students. As a faculty member at UIS, she has mentored over 100 students, including those from underrepresented and underserved groups. Since 2018, she has been supporting the academic success of minority students in STEM fields through various initiatives, such as implementing a learning assistant program, faculty-student research support, and financial incentives for students to attend STEM conferences. These initiatives have been funded by a National Science Foundation grant awarded to Dr. Vázquez and collaborators from other higher education institutions in Illinois.

Vázquez’s dedication to mentoring is rooted in her background and cultural heritage, which provide her with a unique understanding of the challenges faced by Mexican and Mexican-American students. She strives to create an environment that promotes academic excellence and fosters personal growth and confidence. By empowering students with the necessary skills for future success, Vázquez demonstrates her belief that mentorship is crucial to ensure personal and academic success.

Mentoring & Extended Support: The subgroup recommends implementing and monitoring initial mentoring development programs: i) identify faculty and staff members willing to serve as mentors for Mexican and Mexican-American students in addition to their departmental advisors; and ii) establish a peer mentoring program, with faculty and staff members, where students will also serve/act as mentors to new, incoming or transfer students for both Mexican and Mexican-American undergraduate and graduate students. The subgroup also sees a need to have a centralized location for this program.

Dr. Jorge Villegas

Dr. Villegas is a Professor of Marketing and Associate Dean of the College of Business and Management at the University of Illinois Springfield. Dr. Villegas' research focuses on how consumers' cognitive and affective processes interact when exposed to different communications, particularly when this information is used to make important decisions. In this topic, he has studied tourists' responses to hurricane warning messages, effects of vaccine-related and fear-inducing messages, messages of solidarity after a terrorist attack, and more recently, how patient engagement impacts resistance to anti-vaccination messages found in social media, and the portrayal of emotions and cultural symbols in COVID-19 related commercial messages. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin. As an administrator, Dr. Villegas chaired the Department of Business Administration for six years and has been the college's associate dean for the last five years. In these positions, he has helped launch successful on-ground and online programs, led the reorganization of the college, and currently supervises the undergraduate advising center and Graduate Accelerated Programs office. He is also a member of the board of iVenturEd, a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to offer hands-on entrepreneurial education to high school students in Springfield.

Villegas Website

Dr. Carmen Ochoa-Galindo

Dr. Ochoa-Galindo is a senior lecturer and the director of internships in applied psychology at UIC. She is an alumnus from UIC and has been working there for 5 years. She has over 15 years of teaching experience both at the undergraduate and graduate level. In addition, Dr. Ochoa-Galindo is a licensed mental health clinician with over 18 years of experience providing individual, family, and group counseling to children, adolescents, and adults both in outpatient and inpatient settings. She has experience working with mental illness, behavioral disorders, domestic violence, sexual assault, acculturation stress, and trauma. In her spare time, she enjoys doing yoga, reading, and spending time with her family which includes her husband, 6-year-old twin daughters, 4 dogs, and 2 cats!

Ochoa-Galindo Website

Dr. José Andino

Building Relationships in Mexico 

Dr. Andino completed three years of chemistry studies at the University of El Salvador in the School of Chemistry and Pharmacy before transferring to the University of Louisville as a Fulbright undergraduate scholar and completed a BS degree in Chemistry with concentration in Biotechnology in 1997. After working for one year at the University of El Salvador and Universidad José Matías Delgado, he returned to Louisville to obtain a PhD degree with emphasis in organometallic chemistry of CO2 under supervision of Prof. Dorothy Gibson in 2005. After a postdoctoral stint at Indiana University, José taught General, Organic and Organometallic Chemistry at Lamar University for two years. José joined the General Chemistry teaching faculty at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2014. 
“I think that a successful interaction with students relies on being passionate about what we do and I feel compelled to show students chemistry can well be their passion too. I believe we are at a great moment in time for chemistry education. Technology allows us to convey ideas in ways that could otherwise be challenging. This evolving state-of-the-art technology guarantees that the chemistry educator will constantly require to advance to be able to offer the most to their students.”

Building Relationships in Mexico: The subgroup focuses on creating new avenues to attract Mexican students to the UI System. We have plans to expand to High Schools and continue to establish new relationships with Mexican institutions to attract graduate students by communicating with their undergraduate students.

Nancy Xochitl Salinas Rios

Visiting I-MMÁS Specialist

Nancy Salinas works in a role critical to ensuring the operational effectiveness and success of the I-MMÁS initiative at the University of Illinois System and its three universities. She serves the Office of the President and supports the development and furtherance of the I-MMÁS program. 

She joined I-MMÁS to enhance educational, cultural, scientific, technical, and social collaborations within the University of Illinois System, hoping to create educational opportunities for Mexican academic institutions and Mexican-American students. Her additional interests include biology, plants, and science in general. Nancy enjoys traveling, riding her bike, trying new foods, and teaching the Spanish language as a volunteer.

 

I-MMAS Leaders Mexican Advisory Committee

I-MMAS Comité de Líderes Asesores Mexicanos

Dr. Ma. Guadalupe Flavia Loarca-Piña

Dr. Loarca-Piña is a professor in the graduate program in Food Science, Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro (UAQ), México. Loarca-Piña was a provost for research and graduate studies at UAQ (January 2012 – January 2024). Loarca-Piña is a member of the National Academy of Sciences (AMC/Mexico) and a member of the National Research Member from the National Council of Humanities, Sciences and Technologies (CONAHCYT). Her research interest is on bioactive compounds in native Mexican legumes and cereals; economical recuperation of byproducts in food industries to obtain bioactive compounds or ingredients with health benefits for food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries. She dedicates her academic research to promoting the Mexican diet to reduce the risk of developing chronic not degenerative diseases. She has published 141 articles in JCR journals. She has been a reviewer for 40 peer-reviewed journals.

Loarca-Piña Website

Dr. Diego Armando Luna Vital

Dr. Luna Vital is an assistant research professor at the Institute for Obesity and in the School of Engineering and Science, at Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico. He obtained a BS in Food Engineering from BUAP (Puebla, Mexico), and a PhD in Food Science from UAQ (Querétaro, Mexico), and a postdoctoral training at UIUC. He is focused on the study of plant materials as a source of functional foods and ingredients. Particularly Diego Luna's research lines are associated with technological and biological assessment of plant-based proteins and natural pigments. Also, he is the leader of the CYTED network "INNOPROT", involving 60 researchers from Iberoamerica.

He has published more than 45 scientific articles in indexed journals associated with food science and human nutrition and presented his work in national and international meetings. He received the National Award in Food Science in 2021 from the National Academy of Science.

Luna Vital Website

Dr. Ivan Luzardo-Ocampo

Dr. Luzardo-Ocampo is a research professor at the Institute for Obesity Research & Department of Bioengineering, School of Engineering and Science, Tecnológico de Monterrey Mexico. His research lines are focused on the impact of food prototypes and food metabolites in models of disease at in vitro, in vivo, in silico, and clinical level.

Luzardo has published 45 peer-reviewed articles in high-impact journals in the field of food science and technology, nutrition, and biochemistry. He has participated in more than 50 events as an international speaker and keynote presenter. He is a member of the editorial board of Journal of Functional Foods and academic editor of Journal of Food Quality, Journal of Food Processing and Preservation, International Journal of Food Science, and Frontiers in Nutrition.

He strongly believes that education is one of the best investments and promoters of social mobility, particularly when education is from highly expert academics and institutions with worldwide recognition. Hence, I-MMÁS is a unique opportunity for U.S. and Latin American institutions to promote academic and scientific advancement between talented students and collaborators, aiming to build stronger relationships, enhance the profession and academic skills, and cultivate richer cultural approaches and perspectives.

Luzardo-Ocampo Website

Dr. Luis Mojica

Dr. Mojica is a full-time researcher at the Food Technology Unit of the Center for Research and Assistance in Technology and Design of the State of Jalisco (CIATEJ), based in Zapopan, Mexico. He earned his Ph.D. in food science and human nutrition from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His doctoral research was pioneering, focusing on harnessing common bean protein as a source of bioactive peptides for treating chronic diseases, which were then incorporated into functional food products. Mojica’s professional journey has been diverse, encompassing roles in both industry and academia.

His scientific contributions are notable, with over 50 publications in esteemed journals in the food science field. Mojica’s research has garnered significant recognition, boasting an h-index of 25 and over 2,500 citations. He has authored several book chapters and has presented his findings at prestigious national and international conferences, including the American Society for Nutrition and the Institute of Food Technologies, where he actively participates as a member.

In recognition of his scholarly achievements, Mojica was honored as an outstanding Ph.D. student by the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 2015, among other accolades. He also holds the honor of being a member of the National System of Researchers in Mexico.

Mojica has played pivotal roles in over 20 projects funded by state, federal, and private sector initiatives. He has supervised numerous undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral theses, mentoring and shaping the next generation of researchers in his field. Additionally, he serves as the editor-in-chief of the CIATEJ Journal Horizontes Transdisciplinarios and actively contributes to the institution’s editorial board.

Mojica Website

Dr. Lucía Morales

Dr. Morales is a researcher at the International Laboratory for Research on the Human Genome at National Autonomous University of Mexico, UNAM in Juriquilla, Querétaro. She completed her undergraduate studies at UNAM, graduating with the first cohort of the bachelor’s in genomic sciences program. In 2013, she received her Ph.D. in genetics and genomics from the Pierre and Marie Curie University and the international Pasteur-Paris Sorbonne University doctoral program. During her doctoral thesis at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, she began studying the evolution of yeasts and their hybrids using comparative genomics. Her laboratory currently focuses on the study of yeast genomes from an evolutionary perspective and on the impact of interspecies hybridization on genome architecture. She is also interested in the biotechnological applications of yeast diversity. As a member of the I-MMÁS Initiative Leaders Advisory Group, she will help shape strategic plans to increase educational opportunities and support systems for Mexican students within the University of Illinois System. Additionally, she will advise on collaborations and initiatives that bridge the gap between the University of Illinois System, Mexican institutions, and the broader community to enhance mutual educational and research goals.

Morales Website

Dr. Sandra Rodil

Dr. Rodil holds a degree in physics from the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM where she also obtained the degree of master of science (materials), obtaining the merit Alfonso Caso medal. She received her Ph.D. at the Department of Engineering of the University of Cambridge in 2001. In March 2001, she joined the Instituto de Investigaciones en Materiales (Material’s Research Institute, IIM) of the UNAM as an associate researcher. Rodil is currently a full professor at the IIM and coordinator of the postgraduate program in materials science and engineering. She has been awarded two medals from the UNAM; the Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (distinguished women) in 2009 and the Fernando de Alba (experimental physics) in 2014 and a Newton Advanced Fellowship (2017) from the UK Royal Society. In 2013, she was honored with the L’Oréal award for women in science.

Rodil’s research interests are focused on the synthesis and application of coatings or thin films deposited by plasma-assisted methods. As a materials scientist, she found exciting the opportunities offered by the non-thermodynamic conditions of plasma to synthesize materials presenting amorphous or crystalline phases that are not attainable under thermodynamic conditions. The applications include surface modification of biomaterials, hard and resistant coatings, photoactive coatings for photocatalysis, and water splitting processes. Rodil’s group (PLASNAMAT) is mainly conformed by postgraduate students, keeping the different research lines alive. She has graduated 17 PhD, about half of them women, who are now successful professionals. She has published more than 150 articles, eight book chapters, two patents, and hundreds of congress presentations.

Rodil Website

 

SUBGROUP MEMBERS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I-MMÁS recognizes and acknowledges the work of former team members, including that of Dr. Xiomara Cervantes, Dr. Nic Flores, Dr. Benjamin E. Ramirez, Ana Irene Mitchell, Caterina Kim, Maribel Barragan, and Roxanne Patino and Adirah Regina Cortez. We are grateful for your efforts toward this important initiative and honor each of you and your contributions. Thank you!