Name: Zoe Isabella Barinaga

Lab: Dr. Kyle Allen – OrthoBME Lab

Hometown: Houston, Texas

Research focus: AI applications in preclinical osteoarthritis research

Fun fact: I figure skate!

What motivates you? Knowing that my career will help advance our understanding of the beautifully intricate human body and also serve people through medicine!

What attracted you to UF BME? I was attracted to the growth trajectory of the department and the strong faculty support for students’ education and career paths. As a student, I feel like my professors and administrators genuinely care about my future and put in great effort to empower me to be the best version of myself.

What I love about Gainesville: I love all the greenery and the college town feel. Most activities are geared towards college students, and it’s been awesome to have no shortage of fun, diverse things to do! (I’m a foodie and especially love the cuisine options here.)

Quote: “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.” -Albert Einstein

Honors and Awards:

• Gator Nation Scholar
• Tau Beta Pi Graduate Fellowship
• Belgian American Educational Foundation Fellowship
• Fulbright Award Alternate
• Outstanding UF Scholar Award
• Presidential Service Award
• Research Excellence Program for Undergraduates Distinction
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund Scholar (x4)
• Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Scientists Computational Biology Presentation Award
• Joseph W. Wunsch Engineering Scholarship
• Gerald and Elaine L. Gibson Engineering Scholarship
• Certificate of US Congressional Recognition presented by Mayor Turner of Houston