Hi! I am Laura Alencar, an evolutionary biologist and Associate Research Scientist investigating the (macro)eco-evolutionary dynamics of vertebrates. My research integrates computational modeling, collections-based approaches, and field observations to illuminate how organisms respond to and recover from environmental change, primarily focusing on the more than 12,000 species of lizards and snakes. You can find me at: alencarlrv at gmail.com or laura.alencar at yale.edu.
Alivia Nytko is joining the team! Coming from the University of Tennessee, Alivia will start her postdoc in January 2027, working on our NSF project exploring the evolution and diversity of mountain squamates. Check out her website to learn more about her work!
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Matheus Pontes-Nogueira just finished his PhD, during which he investigated the historical biogeography of the incredible vipers! I was Matheus’ PhD co-advisor, alongside Prof. Ricardo Sawaya, at the Universidade Federal do ABC in São Paulo, Brazil. |
Paris Williams joined us for the summer! Coming from Florida A&M through Yale’s Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program, Paris spent two months measuring rattlesnake specimens at the Peabody Museum and using phylogenetic comparative methods to investigate the evolution of sexual size dimorphism across rattlesnakes.
