Daybis Tencio

Graduate Student

Owen Group

Columbia University

Daybis was born and raised in Costa Rica, where he earned his B.Sc. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Costa Rica. He later returned to the same institution as an Instructor, a full-circle moment that he values deeply. After several years working on the surface and interfacial chemistry of industrially relevant materials, he decided to take the leap to New York City and join the Owen Group. Today, Daybis works on oxygen-terminated diamond surfaces for quantum sensing using nitrogen-vacancy defect centers. Alongside this, he is currently developing a new material designed to act as a quantum transducer compatible with multiple qubit platforms—an effort driven by curiosity and a love for connecting ideas across disciplines. Outside the lab, Daybis enjoys lifting weights, artistic gymnastics, and ballet, and is always happy to talk science, movement, or anything in between.