She is known for her contributions to research on the nervous system of gastropods, inner ear development in Xenopus, neurobiology of glia, sensory signal transduction in guard cells, and for leadership of programs that recruit, train and retain underrepresented minorities in STEM.

Her research considers the central role of ion channels in the reception and transduction of stimuli and integrates methods from genetics, physiology, and anatomy.

[2] Her father was a sergeant in the United States Army and a military veteran, which meant that Serrano was raised in Central America, Asia and Europe.

[6][3] She moved to Stanford University for her doctoral degree, where she earned a PhD in Biology specializing in neuroscience and biophysics under the supervision of Peter A.

[22] From 1992 to 2019 over one hundred and twenty students have earned degrees while completing mentored research in the Serrano laboratory, half of whom are women and over 60% are from underrepresented groups.

The Hub's mission is to increase the capacity of Hispanic-serving institutions to provide research and education activities that recruit, train, and retain students for the STEM workforce.