2021 - present. Dual title Ph.D. Candidate. Department of History  and Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Penn State University 
2017. MA in Anthropology. Facultad Latinoamericana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) – Sede Ecuador 
2013. BA in Sociology  Minor: International Relations. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador 

- Fall 2024. Center for Humanities and Information Predoctoral Fellow.
- Spring 2024. Liberal Arts College Dissertation Semester Release.
- Fall 2023. Edwin Erle Sparks Fellow in the Humanities for Dissertation Research.
- Spring 2023. Teaching Assistant – HIST 21: American Civilization from 1877 with Dr. Dan Letwin – Penn State University. 
- Fall 2022. Research Assistant – Dr. Christopher Heaney – Penn State University. 
- Spring 2022. Teaching Assistant – HIST 10: World History to 1500 with Dr. Kathryn Salzer –Penn State University.  
- Fall 2021. Research Assistant – Dr. Christopher Heaney – Penn State University. 
- Spring 2021. Research Assistant – Dr. Christopher Heaney – Penn State University.

I am Ana, originally from Ecuador, currently a Ph.D. candidate in Latin American History and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Penn State. My dissertation explores Ecuador’s scientific history from 1850 to 1925 through the stories of four key plants—vegetable ivory, eucalyptus, cundurango, and the toquilla straw palm. Specifically, it examines how Ecuador’s governments promoted and engaged with British and U.S. scientific expeditions focused on bioprospecting, medical botany, and patent creation. This research highlights how these interactions shaped Ecuador’s state formation and national scientific projects while also addressing the marginalization and exploitation of Indigenous and local communities’ knowledge(s)—particularly that of women, who hold extensive expertise in local flora, fauna, and medicinal practices.