Jeff Sivils moved to El Paso when he was young and attended elementary, high school and college there. Jeff became interested in science in elementary school and the interest continued through until he began attending the University of Texas at El Paso. However, he was unsure as to which path he wanted to take with his education, until the semester he took his first microbiology class. It was there Jeff found out how really fascinating research can be and he was hooked. After graduation, Jeff worked in Austin, Texas for a biotechnical research facility and realized how great his urge was to further his education by obtaining a graduate degree. Jeff moved back to El Paso and was accepted into the UTEP PhD program. He is currently in the last year of his PhD in toxicology. Jeff hopes to obtain a post doctoral position in the El Paso area and ultimately search out a position in academia in the south western United States.