Sero Parel

Featured on July 18, 2021

This week, we’re joined by Sero Parel (they/them), a PhD candidate in Neuroscience at Princeton University!

Sero graduated with a Bachelor’s degree majoring in Neuroscience, with minors in Economics and Comparative American Studies from Oberlin College. After graduating, they worked as a research technician at the Brain and Mind Research Institute at Weill Cornell Medical College. There, they investigated animal models for demyelination and remyelination in multiple sclerosis.

Currently, Sero is a graduate research fellow at Princeton exploring the genetic mechanisms of early-life stress. They also co-founded the Association of Filipino Scientists in America (AFSA), a community of Filipino scientists in America who seek to utilize their expertise to support the Filipino community.

Some fun facts about Sero!

1. They love “veganizing” Filipino dishes, especially kare-kare using tokwa and puso ng sagsing instead of oxtail and tripe (sounds yum)
2. They were born in Quezon City, lived there until the age of 6 and then migrated to Kentucky, USA
3. Sero has gone back and forth the Philippines for science advocacy work, from the countryside to the Senate. Likewise, in the US, Sero shared their experience in lobbying elected officials in the US Congress to speak out on human rights violations and support human right movements in the Philippines

Let’s all welcome Sero to the Pinoy Scientists fam!