HERRERA VALDEZ, MARCO ARIELI

My interests center around complex adaptive systems, especially in physiology. My current research seeks to better understand mechanisms underlying nonlinear phenomena spanning different levels of physiological organization (note, not necessarily different spatiotemporal scales). For instance, I am studying biophysical principles underlying the formation and reactivation of neural traces within nervous microcircuits. At a macroscopic level, neuronal activity depends on the anatomical connectivity, synaptic plasticity, and the level of heterogeneity in the physiological function of the neurons under consideration. Both of these factors are adaptively changed by neuromodulation, regulation of gene expression, as well as internal and external stimuli. Understanding the general principles underlying the changes and the adaptability of functionally connected circuits is important to find mechanistic explanations about phenomena occurring at high levels of organization such as behavior, learning, and memory, etc. Importantly, the mathematical principles unveiled by this kind of research are applicable to other areas of knowledge.

My academic background combines formal doctoral and postdoctoral training in mathematics and physiological sciences and in my work, I combine theoretical and experimental approaches. I also teach at undergraduate and graduate levels and train students to do research. I also do work in non-academic fronts, consulting on projects in computational and data science for motor control and sports science, neuroeconomics, and epidemiology. I am currently an full professor in the Mathematics Department at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.