Meet experimental scientist Gaby Davila Ordonez

Gaby Davila Ordonez has always had a knack in learning new things, contributing to make a difference and helping others succeed.

Originally from Venezuela, Davila Ordonez, grew up with three sisters in a family who cultivated coffee in a small town in the state of Mérida called La Azulita. Interested in science and engineering, she went on to get a bachelor’s in chemical engineering with a minor in oil and gas. She received a master’s and Ph.D.in seismic and geotechnical engineering and two postdoctoral research trainings.

She came to work at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in December 2021 as an experimental scientist in the Physical and Life Sciences directorate’s Atmospheric, Earth and Energy Division.

“Doing research has been my passion for several years,” said Davila Ordonez.“In my role at LLNL, I am performing laboratory experiments to mimic the interaction between water/brine, rocks and CO2/H2?under reservoir conditions to be able to understand and predict this interaction at the field scale — in the context of CO2?sequestration, hydrogen geological storage and geothermal environments.”

Davila Ordonez enjoys working at the Laboratory for the opportunities to build and grow your professional career.

“Being part of a recognized institution such as LLNL in research was always one of my goals,” said Davila Ordonez. “LLNL has a great team full of smart people who you can learn from and grow as a professional.”

Davila Ordonez values diversity and appreciates that the Lab does too. Once she arrived at the Laboratory, she quickly joined the Amigos Unidos Hispanics in Partnership employee resource group.

“I am participating because I belong to this community and I like to contribute, learn and help others,” she said. “Nowadays, diversity makes the world work, therefore inclusion of all ethnicities makes the world even better. Honoring Hispanic Heritage Month is important to me. It’s a month to remember and honor traditions, culture and to share with my community.”

There are a few things that Davila Ordonez said has shaped her and she credits for her success.

“Moving to different countries to start from scratch each time helped me acquire a lot of experience both culturally and professionally and my parents both taught me to find the motivation everywhere,” she said. “My mother always told us, ‘No hay mal que por bien no venga,’ which means that everything that happens, even if it is bad, happens for a good reason.”

Outside of work, Davila Ordonez enjoys her family and being active. She said she loves to hike, run, dance, listen to music, read books, spend time with her family and teach and learn from her kids.

“Do what you love to do, then you will be happy without any effort,” she said.

By Carrie Martin