Nicole Pinzon-Hoyos

Ph.D. candidate, Biological Sciences

Research Interests: Nicole's research focuses on the role of the complement system, a key component of the immune system, in acquired epilepsy. She investigates how neuroinflammation contributes to epilepsy outcomes and explore potential differences between males and females to better understand the mechanisms underlying these differences.

Road to the Moody School: Nicole was born and raised in Cali, Colombia, and graduated cum laude with a B.S. in Biochemistry. After graduation, Nicole spent five years working as a Senior Quality Control Chemist at a multinational pharmaceutical company. Following the pandemic, Nicole decided to pursue her passion for research and continue her academic journey, which led her to join the Biology Ph.D. program at SMU in 2022.

Since then, Nicole has enjoyed presenting her research at epilepsy and neuroscience conferences and contributing to publications in scientific journals, including her first-author paper in Scientific Reports. Looking ahead, her goal is to continue pursuing translational research to better understand brain disorders at both the cellular and behavioral levels, ultimately advancing our understanding of these conditions and their potential treatments.