Gabe Espinosa Martinez talks chemistry, Shakira and answers boxers-or-briefs

His dream job is to get paid to play videogames, but since that gig hasn't come about for him, yet, Gabe Espinosa Martinez is in his first semester as a chemistry faculty member at Malcom X College, even though he often gets mistaken for a student at the west side school.

Martinez teaches general chemistry after formerly serving as a graduate researcher and teaching assistant at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In graduate school, his research focused on compounds featuring transition-metals, primarily nickel.

"My teaching outside the classroom entails preparing lectures, organizing activities and experiments for the laboratory, and building problem sets, quizzes and tests. In the classroom it involves engaging students in learning chemistry fundamentals that apply to everyday life, from both lectures and hands-on experiments," Martinez said. "The best part of my job is getting to interact with people and sharing knowledge about something I have a passion for.

"My passion for chemistry is actually what brought me to the U.S. and eventually to Illinois. At the age of 17, I represented my country in an international chemistry competition that lead to me getting a scholarship to study in one of the top 200 universities in the world. I decided to go to The Ohio State University to complete my undergraduate studies, and quickly realized I would not be returning to Panama. In pursuit of my chemistry career, I went to the University of Illinois for graduate school, which brought me one step closer to Chicago."

Now 28, Martinez lives in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood. He has lived in the U.S. since March 2010. He has been living locally full-time for about four months. He had been commuting between Chicago and Champaign for about 18 months.

Now Teaching ...Gabe Espinosa Martinez

Best Chicago Bar: Hydrate Nightclub

Drink of Choice: "Diet Coke with orange slices. I add some cherries if I'm feeling fancy."

Favorite Chicago Restaurant: The Publican

Favorite Holiday: Halloween – "It brings creativity out of people; it's always fun to dress up."

Celebrity You'd Like To Meet: Shakira

Dream Vacation Destination: "I would love to take a long vacation and explore Europe."

At The Gym: "(My music) depends on my mood. It ranges from music in Spanish from my teen years, to Top 40, to some high-energy DJ sets."

Pizza Ingredients: "All the meats."

The LGBT Community: "I try to support events within the community as much as possible because they provide funds that help create awareness of challenges that our community faces and help deliver care and shelter for members of the community in need."

When Not Working: "You can find me trying to divide my time between going to the gym and staying active, playing video games, dancing and spending time with friends; but most important, my favorite activity is spending time with my husband, our cat Max and our puppy Neena."

Best Part of Chicago: "All that Chicago has to offer, from busy city life to relaxing on the beach to some of the biggest parties/festivals."

Worst Part of Chicago: "The winter. I don't mind when it's cold, but having to be cold and walk through the snow is not my idea of fun. I wouldn't mind the winter too much if I could stay cozy at home all day."

Career goal: "I'm hoping for a tenure track faculty position, but I'm still exploring potential career opportunities with my chemistry and biochemistry background, such as dedicating myself to research or working in industry."

Superstitions: "I don't consider myself a superstitious person. However, as a kid and teenager, I used to believe something bad was going to happen if Mom said, 'Don't go somewhere' and I went anyway."

I'm Better Than Most ... "at being indecisive ...I can easily decide what tattoo I would like to get next, yet it can take me hours to (decide) what I would like to eat."

Boxers or Briefs: "Briefs (or) boxer-briefs. If I'm in a rush, whatever I find first. However, my preference is no underwear."