Dr. Alberta Jaqueline Padilla Zúñiga began her professional education studying Chemistry at the Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México. Later, she completed a Master's degree in Chemistry at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Iztapalapa Campus, specializing in protein biophysics. Her interest in protein structure led her to obtain a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the same institution.

Since 1990, she has been a professor-researcher at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Iztapalapa Campus, focusing on studies related to the structure, stability, and biological function of proteins. Initially, she focused on assays on proteolytic enzymes and their application in the food industry. Her research concentrates on two main areas: the physicochemical properties of thiol proteases and molecular modeling with an emphasis on protein-ligand interaction and molecular dynamics of proteins.

Currently, her research focuses on the interaction of the SARS-CoV-2 E protein with various human PDZ proteins, as well as the binding of the MPro protein of the same virus with antiviral compounds used in the treatment of COVID-19. Her aim is to computationally determine the binding free energy to better understand the receptor-ligand interaction and develop more effective drugs against this respiratory disease.

Throughout her academic career, she has published over 7 scientific articles in international and national journals, collaborating with groups both within and outside the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana. Regarding her teaching work, she has been teaching undergraduate courses since 1990, especially in Experimental Method and Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

She has supervised the direction of theses and final projects of several undergraduate students, contributing to the promotion of scientific vocations and professional development. She has also supervised a doctoral thesis and hopes to continue contributing to the training of chemistry students.