Carlos H. Borca

Biography

A pragmatic theoretical and computational chemist that enjoys engaging problems involving real-life applications and developing original scientific software solutions. Currently working as a Scientist II in Computational Chemistry at PTC Therapeutics Inc. since 2021, under the supervision of Dr. Anthony R. Mazzotti.

Formerly, he was appointed, since 2020, as a Postdoctoral Research Associate with the group of Prof. Michael A. Webb, in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Princeton University, where he developed machine learning approaches for rationale, automated polymer synthesis.

Previously, he worked, since 2017, as a Postdoctoral Fellow with the group of Prof. C. David Sherrill, in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the Georgia Institute of Technology, conducting research focused on ab initio methods for molecular crystals.

Graduated with a Ph. D. from the Department of Chemistry at Purdue University in 2017, where he worked with the group of Prof. Lyudmila V. Slipchenko. His doctoral studies, started in 2012, were carried out on polarizable molecular dynamics and density functional approximations to approach intermolecular interactions. Contemporaneously, he earned, in 2016, an Applied Management Principles Mini-MBA certificate from the Krannert School of Management at Purdue University; and also worked at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as a summer intern during the Computational Chemistry and Materials Science Institute of 2015.

In 2011, the Administrative Department of Science, Technology, and Innovation of the Government of Colombia (Colciencias) awarded him with the Virginia Gutierrez de Pineda Young Scientist and Innovator Scholarship to conduct research in computational chemistry, with the advise of Prof. Carlos A. Arango, at Universidad Icesi in Cali, Colombia, where he had been previously appointed as a lecturer of general and physical chemistry laboratories since 2009.

Before that, he graduated with honors for a meritorious research thesis directed by Prof. Julio C. Arce, from a five-year professional degree undergraduate program in Chemistry from Universidad del Valle, in Cali, Colombia in 2009.