David Gonzalez-Martinez
he/him/his
B.S. Chemistry/Physical Chemistry, 2012
NIEHS T32 Molecular Toxicology Fellow
NIH K99/R00 MOSAIC Recipient
Dr. David Gonzalez is a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Environmental Cardiology & Vascular Biology Lab led by physician-scientist, Professor Jesus Araujo at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. Dr. Gonzalez was born in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico and raised in between the Rio Grande Valley and Pearland, Texas. He began collegeat Moorpark Community College and transferred to UCLA in 2010. At UCLA he received a BS in Chemistry (2012) and a PhD in Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences (2019) before beginning his postdoctoral appointment.
His research seeks to understand a question that has eluded researchers for decades: Why does air pollution make people sick? Dr. Gonzalez’s doctoral work investigated the atmospheric chemistry of airborne particles and their ability to generate free radicals in the lung. His postdoctoral research investigates the toxicology of air pollution and electronic cigarettes. Dr. Gonzalez was recently awarded an NIH K99/R00 MOSAIC for a research proposal investigating novel biological pathways that underly woodsmoke toxicity. He hopes his research will provide guidance to medical professionals, emergency response personnel, and policymakers while fostering critical interdisciplinary research. Following completion of postdoctoral research, he plans to become faculty to continue interdisciplinary research at the interface of atmospheric chemistry and toxicology.