Colombian biologist interested in evolutionary biology, herpetology, science communication, and inclusion, diversity, and equity in STEM

Complete information in Spanish/ Información completa en español aquí

About me

I am a Ph. D candidate in the Integrative Biology Department at UC Berkeley. I finished my B.Sc. in Biology at the National University of Colombia. Following my undergraduate studies, I pursued a M.Sc. in Biological Sciences at the University of Los Andes in Bogotá and a M.Soc.Sc. in Science Communication at the University of Barcelona. I have five years of research experience in animal physiology, evolutionary biology and molecular biology. In addition, I count with three years of experience teaching a general biology laboratory and an animal physiology laboratory for undergraduate students. I also enjoy participating in science communication projects (particularly in Spanish), as well as in research on science-society relationships.

Currently, my main research interest is the evolution of traits generated by interactions between organisms, especially by the predator-prey interactions in amphibians and reptiles. Furthermore, a big concern for me is to achieve diversity, inclusion, and equity in STEM. Therefore, I work on understanding and generating viable alternatives to the hegemony of English in science.

Check on my complete curriculum and in Spanish aquí

I work with an excellent group of scientists lead by Rebecca Tarvin. For more information go to Tarvin lab.

Active research interests

• Adaptations to new environments or novel interactions among organisms increases biological diversity. One type of interaction that often drives biological diversification is predator-prey interactions, which could result in co-evolution between different organisms adjacent in a food web. For my PhD, I am working with snake predators of poison frogs in Colombia to evaluate how multiple predators have adapted to feeding on a cocktail of toxins (poison frogs secrete multiple alkaloids). Erythrolamprus reginae. Photo: Andreas Schlüter CC BY-SA 2.5

• For non-English native speakers, English proficiency influences the individual “success” of a researcher. This creates a constant pressure to learn and improve English. Also, there is a strong correlation between English proficiency and technological innovation. These trends likely generate a global gap in scientific productivity and use of scientific knowledge in countries with low English proficiency. A main goal for me as a scientist is to understand and generate viable alternatives to the hegemony of English in science.

For my complete research interests, check on my curriculum.

Contact

email: vramirezc [at] berkeley [dot] edu

twitter: @Valeria_RamCas

Always willing to collaborate and start new projects. Do not hesitate to contact me!