Graduate Research Assistant/Second-Year Ph.D. Student, Department of Biology, University of Texas at Arlington
B.S. Biology, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
M.S. Biology, Southeastern Louisiana University
Ph.D. Quantitative Biology (in progress), University of Texas at Arlington
I study chemical communication in squamate reptiles, with particular interest in the genetic underpinnings of femoral gland pheromone production in whiptail lizards. In this system, there are both sexually and asexually reproducing sympatric species, which allows us to make inferences about how asexuality may relate to differences in chemical phenotype. I investigate this by leveraging transcriptomic data, and I plan on characterizing pheromone profiles using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry.
Although I love working in squamate systems, I identify primarily as an evolutionary biologist.
I am Hispanic/Latino and identify as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Growing up in the Rio Grande Valley afforded me the opportunity to be surrounded by Hispanic culture. As I have...