Alec Santiago is a PhD candidate at MD Anderson/UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. Alec obtained a B.S. from Auburn University and decided to pursue his graduate program due to its central location in the largest medical center in the world. His current research focuses on the sensing mechanisms of cellular stress response networks in response to oxidative stress, which underlie a wide range of neurodegenerative diseases.

In addition to his research, Alec has pursued several avenues of integrating into biomedical science. Alec hosts the life science entrepreneur-focused podcast Incorporating Science, started a local research blog called Clutch City Science, interned for the clinical research organization Proxima, and has led short-term consulting teams for local biotech companies. Alec has served as Executive Director for the life science non-profit Enventure, as well as current co-founder of the startup company Van Heron Labs, which analyzes genetic information of organisms used in production to optimize their metabolic processes and increase output. In his spare time, Alec can generally be found sitting outside and throwing sticks for his dog, Brutus.