Michael was born into an Argentine family but raised in New Mexico and Maryland. His grandmother was one of the first women chemistry professors in Argentina in the first half of the 20th century, and served as Michael’s first inspiration to study chemistry. Michael received dual degrees in chemistry (high honors) and biology (magna cum laude) from the University of Maryland. As an undergraduate, Michael performed full-time research in organic chemistry in the area of diazo chemistry. Michael attended Harvard University for graduate school, where he obtained a Masters degree and a PhD in chemistry.
Michael has co-authored over ten peer-reviewed papers in the field of organic chemistry and has over ten years of teaching chemistry and introductory biology to undergraduates as both a teaching assistant and personal tutor. At Maryland, Michael taught organic chemistry laboratory sections and was the head of a general chemistry course. At Harvard, Michael received four teaching awards for his service to undergraduates. Michael is also fluent in Spanish and teaches Spanish conjugation and grammar, including imperative, subjunctive, and conditional tenses.
In his spare time, Michael enjoys swimming in chlorinated waters and playing with dachshunds.