News
EVOLUTION 2024
📅 August 02, 2024
The conference season of 2024 wrapped up with the Evolution conference in Montreal. I presented a talk about species delimitation in Petunia, which you can watch here. Evolution is always a fun conference to attend. I had the chance to see some old friends, make new ones, and witness the amazing science on evolution being done worldwide. Special shoutout to the wonderful societies that organized the conference. Also, Montreal is a beautiful city with stunning sunsets, great food, and beautiful architecture. If you have the chance, visit the Montreal Botanical Garden. Merci beaucoup to everyone!
BOTANY 2024
📅 June 21, 2024
I had the chance to attend the BOTANY conference in person for the first time! It was so much fun—I met amazing people, gave my first talk at a conference, and learned so much about the cool science everyone is doing. I was also lucky enough to be part of the PLANTS program, where I got to share experiences with Elizabeth Mandala and Kandiss Dowdell. Big thanks to everyone in the Latvis lab for the company, as well as to the BSA, the PLANTS program, and everyone who made this experience so enjoyable! This was also my first time in Michigan, and we got to see a beautiful sunset at the beach (the water was cold, but it was so worth it!).
I’m officially a postdoc!
📅 March 5, 2024
Great news! I’ve just relocated to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to start a postdoctoral position at Maribeth Latvis’s lab at the University of Arkansas. We will focus on the South American Agalinis species, an intriguing system as they migrated from North America to South America, where they underwent two rapid radiations—one in the Andean region and another in Brazil—and hummingbird pollination evolved at least twice. During my time in Brazil, I had the opportunity to observe A. communis in its natural habitat (left photos), which happened to be on my old campus! I’m thrilled to start this new chapter of my academic journey and grateful for the warm welcome by the team at the Latvis lab! Go Razorbacks! 🐗
WANTED 🕵 Calibrachoa ovalifolia
📅 December 6, 2023
Alice and I visited Morro do Osso (Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil) in search of the different morphotypes of Calibrachoa ovalifolia. Alice is using genomic data to determine whether these variations represent merely different colorations (that could change with the individual’s age), hybrids between a light and a dark corolla species, or potentially even a distinct species. In the same area, we can also find Calibrachoa excellens - which displays a much darker purple corolla - and Petunia integrifolia. Stay tuned for exciting results coming soon!
Argentina time!
📅 November 16, 2023
Thanks to the ESEB Godfrey Hewitt Mobility Award, I had the opportunity to adventure myself in cytogenetics at Dr. Rocio Deanna’s lab in Cordoba, Argentina. I spent a month there, where I learned a lot and had the pleasure of meeting some amazing people and collaborators (Amália Ibiapino, David Hoyos, Juan D. Urdampilleta). I was fortunate enough to explore the beautiful Argentinean landscape and indulge in its amazing cuisine (🥐 media lunas for breakfast - delicious!). I want to express my gratitude to everyone for the warm welcome and the wonderful experience! 💖
Here are some pictures from that amazing month!
I’m a doctor now! 👨🎓
📅 October 11, 2023
There’s nothing better than starting my posts here (although I’m a few months late, haha 🤭) by saying that I successfully defended my dissertation! After 4.5 years of hard work, I completed my thesis with five chapters covering several aspects of hybridization in the diversification process of Petunia. It was truly special to share this moment with my family, friends, and the members of the committee: Prof. Dr. Clarisse Palma-Silva, Dr. Alexandre Rizzo Zuntini (who actually encouraged me to create this website!), and Prof. Dr. Nelson Fagundes. Here are some photos from the celebration! A special thanks to my advisor Prof. Dr. Loreta B. Freitas and everyone who has been part of this journey! 💖
