Martha Serrano

My research interests have started with the study of genetic diversity patterns in domesticated plant species. The investigation of wild gene pools, number and location of domesticated beans in the Americas have brought me into the understanding of evolutionary patterns in Neotropical plant diversity.

Currently, the goal of my PhD research is examine morphological, ecological and molecular evolution during speciation of Neotropical plant lineages. In particular, substantial differences on species richness across clades in Gesneriaceae family may suggest that several factors have potentially increased or decreased diversification probabilities during their evolution. I apply an integration of phylogenetic, ecological and comparative methods to develop my thesis. This project will contribute to the understanding of factors playing a role on diversification processes in the neotropical biodiversity hotspots. In addition, I would like to develop novel approaches to test models of geographic speciation using ABC techniques.

Funding: Fellowship of Faculty of Biology and Medicine, 2011

2011-
PhD student in Phylogenetics lab, University of Lausanne, Switzerland

2009-2011
Master degree with Distinction in Sciences - Biology, emphasis on Systematics, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia.

2002-2008
Bachelor degree in Biology, Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga, Colombia

Travelling, dancing and reading.