From trainee to trainer: Luis de la Torre-Ubieta

Graduates of our training program have gone on to advance the stem cell and biomedical fields in prestigious positions around the country – not to mention right here at UCLA. Developmental neuroscientist Dr. Luis de la Torre-Ubieta says his time as a post-doctoral trainee studying the genes associated with autism spectrum disorder in the lab of Dr. Daniel Geschwind played a transformational role in his scientific journey. 

“The program gave me a foundational understanding of the field of stem cell biology and connected me with the resources and collaborators that shaped my research program,” he says. Now leading a lab of his own, Dr. de la Torre-Ubieta encouraged his post-doctoral researcher, Susanne Nichterwitz, to apply. “As a mentor, you always want what’s best for your trainees,” he says. “I felt confident recommending the training program because I know it’s one of the best out there.” 

De la Torre-Ubieta says that this and the center’s bridges to stem cell research program that provides California State University-Northridge undergraduates with paid internships in UCLA labs are making stem cell research more diverse and accessible. “When I first came from Puerto Rico to start graduate school, I could have counted on one hand the number of Puerto Rican-led academic research labs there were in the U.S.” Now, he’s channeling his own experience into helping others from underrepresented backgrounds see that they too belong in science. “I want to help people see that this trajectory is possible regardless of where they come from,” he says.