Melissa González is a chemist pursuing a master’s in chemistry, studying endophytic actinobacteria with activity against important rice plant pathogens. By integrating genomic and metabolomic approaches, Melissa aims to uncover interactions between endophytic actinobacteria and rice plant pathogens, leading to the discovery of novel bioactive compounds for agricultural applications. As a researcher at the National Centre for Biotechnological Innovations (CENIBiot), she works on projects involving analytical chemistry, gas and liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry, with a special interest in metabolomics.