Guest Spotlights
Meet Dr. David Cruz Zárate
Who You Are
My name is David Cruz. I’m from Oaxaca, Mexico. And I’m here in Atlanta for my postdoctoral fellowship at Emory. And my research is focused on the development of a new platform for human plasma cells.
Tell Us About Your Work
I am an Immunologist and Research Scientist with experience spanning both academia and the biotechnology industry. Throughout my career, I have worked on immunology research, mammalian cell culture, flow cytometry, and cell therapy-related applications. My background includes studying B-cell biology in academic settings and developing cell culture solutions for CAR-T, NK, and T-cell applications in industry. I enjoy solving scientific challenges, working in collaborative environments, and translating research findings into practical applications that can advance biotechnology and human health.
I think the most important thing that Villa has given me is community. I have family, I have a community here. I’m important here at Villa.
How has Villa supported you in your transition in Atlanta?
Villa is very convenient, especially if you are working here at the Emory, because it’s a very close place. You just need to walk for 20, 30 minutes. And also when you are from a different country and you arrive here in the US, I think something that is very important is to have community. And here at Villa you also have the chance to make community. So I think that is very important to me to be here at Villa. In Villa, the staff members — Nathan, Marcia, Taiko, Rebecca — everyone, everyone. They are very wonderful people and they support you very, very well.
How has Villa supported you in your transition in Atlanta?
When I was looking for places to stay here in Atlanta, my supervisor recommended Villa International. I checked out the website. I saw the photos about the facilities, the testimonials, and all the recommendations were awesome, so I decided to live here at Villa, and I think it was a very good and smart decision.
My first day here at Villa, I did my reservation for three months, but after my first day, I extended my reservation for six months and then for one year. Because of course, once you are here, you can see how convenient and how wonderful is this place. So you want to stay here for the rest of your stay.
How would you describe Villa to someone who has never been here before?
I always say it’s a very convenient place. It’s wonderful because I have a lot of friends here. It’s like you are at home because you have your mom, there is Rebecca, you know, you have to do your duties, you have to clean your dishes and everything, but it’s very — it’s a very nice place. So I would say I can describe my Villa as my home.
It’s also surprising how many people can live in the same place. But at the same time, how everything is very well-organized, even when there are a lot of people here. Everything is very well-organized because you have your own space in the kitchen, in the fridge. So no, it’s — yeah, that is impressive. How can you — even though there are a lot of people here, everything works very well.