Madza -Farias-Virgens (she/her/ela)
Madza Farias-Virgens (she/her/ela)
Postdoctoral Scholar
LSB
I specialize in using molecular techniques to delve into the complexities of avian evolution. During my doctoral research, I employed population genomics and brain transcriptomics to uncover the biological processes that drive phenotypic alterations arising from domestication in a songbird model species (Lonchura striata domestica, common name: Bengalese Finch). My ongoing post-doctoral research focuses on utilizing advanced phylogenomic tools to unravel the intriguing phenomenon of nectar-feeding evolving independently in multiple occasions within the avian lineage. Concurrently, I am actively engaged in a collaborative effort aimed at studying the distinctive ultrasonic vocal communication observed in a hummingbird species native to the Atlantic Forest known as Black Jacobin (Florisuga fusca).
I hold a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences from State University of Santa Cruz in Brazil, a Master of Science in Genetics and Molecular Biology from Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, a Master of Art in Anthropology from UC Berkeley, and a PhD in Molecular Cellular and Integrative Physiology from UCLA. My graduate research received sponsorship from significant governmental institutions in both Brazil and the US. This included an award from the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel in Brazil and a Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant from the National Science Foundation in the US. The outcome of this work was acknowledged as a "Hot Topic in Neuroscience" at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience. Additionally, I was honored with a nomination to the Society for Systematic Biologists Excellence Symposium at Evolution 2021, held jointly by the American Society of Naturalists, the Society for the Study of Evolution, and the Society of Systematic Biologists.
