Finding His Element: The Journey of Dr. Antonio Tinoco Valencia

Dr. Antonio Tinoco Valencia at his Cal State LA graduation (left) and in a UCLA lab wearing a blue UCLA shirt (right).

 

A proud first-generation college graduate, Dr. Antonio Tinoco Valencia earned his degree from Cal State LA in 2015 and is now coming home to Los Angeles to begin a new role as a chemistry professor at UCLA.
 

Dr. Tinoco Valencia's path was anything but easy. He started his undergraduate journey at East Los Angeles College (ELAC) during the 2008 recession, balancing classes with odd jobs to cover tuition. At times, he could only afford to enroll part-time, and the choice between buying food or paying for a bus ride to campus was common. But through it all, he found community. Friends at ELAC, dedicated professors, and mentors helped him navigate college life and encouraged him to pursue his passion for science. One of those passions took hold during an organic chemistry course, which introduced him to the elegance of chemical reactions and changed how he viewed the world.


Drawn by a strong reputation for faculty mentorship and undergraduate research, he transferred to Cal State LA. There, he immersed himself in a vibrant academic environment that nurtured intellectual curiosity and personal growth. "It offered everything I needed: rigorous science, great research, and the ability to stay close to home and keep costs manageable," he recalls. He joined the lab of Dr. Alison McCurdy, whose mentorship played a pivotal role in shaping his identity as a scientist. "She was hands-on, rigorous, and incredibly generous with her time," he says. "Through her guidance, I gained both technical skills and the confidence to pursue a PhD." While at Cal State LA, he presented research at national scientific conferences, received multiple departmental scholarships, and discovered a passion for bioorganic chemistry, a field that bridges chemical tools and biological questions. "That period was the first time I felt like I was truly thriving academically," he reflects.


He went on to earn a PhD from the University of Rochester as a Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellow awarded by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, and recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University. Throughout his academic journey, he stayed grounded in the lessons modeled by his family: perseverance, integrity, and hard work. "What kept me motivated was knowing that if I kept showing up, learning, and putting in the time, I would keep getting better."


Now, as he joins UCLA as an Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Dr. Tinoco Valencia is focused on mentoring the next generation of scientists and building an inclusive research lab. "That's the biggest reason I chose academia, the mentoring component," he says. He is especially committed to supporting students from historically excluded backgrounds, including first-generation students, LGBTQ+ students, and underrepresented minorities in STEM. His research explores the chemistry of the human microbiome, particularly how chemical interactions shape microbial communities in the body. In collaboration with colleagues at the UCLA School of Dentistry and the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, one of his upcoming projects will examine natural product biosynthesis in the oral microbiome.


To current Cal State LA students, he offers encouragement grounded in experience: "Dream big, even if you're not sure of your path yet. Seek mentors who will both challenge and support you and know that you're more capable than you think."