Professor David Díaz Pontones is a Biologist with a Master's and Ph.D. in Sciences (Biology) from the Faculty of Sciences of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). With research stays abroad as an undergraduate and sabbatical period. Professor at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM) Iztapalapa Campus, founder of the Tissue Biochemistry Research Group of the Biological and Health Sciences Division.

The research line developed in the group is within the topic of Seed Development and Germination, using maize and Ipomoea purpurea for the study. The latter species is known as morning glory and is an arvense of corn crops. Therefore, the research has sought the similarities and differences between the two species in the process of germination.

The research associated with the arvense has generated knowledge on the development of the seed testa, endosperm, and embryo. Research has established the participation and interaction of the endosperm and embryo during development, germination, and seedling establishment.

In parallel, the participation of the corn grain scutellum has been studied during germination and postgermination, in which the biochemical/structural changes that occur in it have been determined, which allow activating and removing the reserve substances for the nutrition and growth of the rest of the embryo, until it becomes autotrophic and self-sufficient in the absorption of nutrients.

The basic knowledge generated has a practical impact in the medium term, establishing molecular markers that determine the degree of deterioration and loss of viability when grains are stored under controlled storage conditions.

The comparison of the development and germination process between the two species has allowed to know the existing relationships between the cultivar-arvense, showing the adaptive advantages that the latter species has to compete successfully in the crop.

The research group's mission is to train high quality human resources, focusing on the training of undergraduate students, since a consistent training, with solid foundations is essential for the formation of a new researcher, which provides them with advantages and skills for a good performance in graduate school and generate quality researchers, with the ability and commitment to solve problems in the area of plant biology; This is evidenced by the awards obtained by the graduates in which they have obtained a source of work, which has been awarded as the Best Graduate Thesis by AGROBIOS obtained by a student of its research group.

The research line has allowed collaboration with other research groups of the same institution and with research groups of the Faculty of Sciences or the Faculty of Chemistry of the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), or research centers such as CIMMYT.

The group has generated scientific articles published in indexed journals of the central research topic and close to it, diffusion articles, book chapters, research techniques manuals, laboratory practice manuals for teaching, and in recent years two books have been published in the series: Molecular Aspects of Angiosperm Development.

The research group has generated scientific articles published in indexed journals related to the research topic, dissemination articles, book chapters, research techniques manuals, laboratory practice manuals for teaching, and two books of the Molecular Aspects of Angiosperm Development: Root Morphogenesis and Embryogenesis and origin of tissue systems.