A brief personal account of a journey in science - an interview with Alejandro Sánchez-Alvarado.

Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado represents a younger generation of Latin American scientists that have achieved international scientific recognition. His work, together with that from other labs, has positioned the planaria Schmidtea mediterranea as a dynamic model system in which the cellular and molecular bases of regeneration in metazoans can be probed. During his professional career he has established strong ties with Latin America, hosting and training students and participating in seminars, workshops and courses throughout the region. In this interview he discusses his early scientific development and training, and his views on various issues related to the professional development of young scientists.