Maria Camila is a first-generation graduate who earned her bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the National University of Colombia in 2020, breaking free from societal expectations for women, and pursued her master’s in applied mathematics while serving as an instructor in undergraduate mathematics courses at the same institution. 

Currently, she is a Ph.D. candidate in Mathematics and Statistics with Interdisciplinary Applications at The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). While her roots where in pure math, her research interest includes the intersection of statistics, machine learning and applied mathematics with interdisciplinary applications in environmental sustainability and health. Her doctoral research focuses on modeling greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, especially CO₂, and CH₄ from human-made aquatic ecosystems such as hydropower reservoirs and freshwater aquaculture ponds. Her research integrates statistical learning, and advanced machine learning techniques, including model agnostic meta-learning, and generative AI models such as conditional variational autoencoders to capture temporal dynamics under limited data availability. Her research also includes applications in medical statistics, where she has worked analyzing the variance of the cross-validation estimators in presence of missing data, and the use of imputation techniques.

Maria Camila is dedicated to working with underrepresented groups in STEM, especially women, and as a person from a development country, she hopes to contribute to education and inclusiveness. She serves as the vice-president of the UTRGV student chapter of the American Statistical Association. She has also contributed to mentoring undergraduate and graduate students helping them with research projects and their professional growth. Her contributions have been recognized, including a Best Poster Award at the Conference on Statistical Practice, an Outstanding Ph.D. Student Award, and Joseph Weiner Scholarship at UTRGV.

She hopes to continue contributing to academia in research and education in mathematics. Her goal is not only to advance knowledge, but also to create opportunities for others especially those who, like her, are navigating paths that were not always designed with them in mind.

Outside of work, she loves dancing, reading, and exercising. CrossFit, cycling, and hiking are some of her favorite activities. She values spending time with her family and friends.