MSU Electric Fish Lab

Research technician

Room 139 Giltner Hall
Department of Integrative Biology
Michigan State University 517-432-4680

I am a biologist who enjoys science and the academic environment, but decided to follow a less usual path as a lab technician. I love working at the bench, designing and troubleshooting experiments, and learning new techniques to face scientific challenges.

My initial interest in science was focused on pathogens (especially viruses). However, I have had the opportunity to explore many other areas. Over the years, I’ve worked with a variety of organisms and projects including identifying antivirals against Dengue virus during my Master’s degree at Cinvestav-Mexico, studying epigenetics in Plasmodium falciparum (malaria) and exploring microbial-plant symbiosis in cycads. My current work involves investigating the genetic basis of sperm aflagellism in weakly electric fish (Mormyrids). Through these experiences, I’ve gained a broad toolkit of techniques and approaches from working in such diverse biological systems.

Since joining the electric fish lab, I have implemented methods such as hybridization chain reaction (HCR), proteomics, and ex vivo tissue culture.

Search for Arely Cruz-Perez's papers on the Research page