​This summer, we are excited to welcome Adiaris Méndez Ortiz (University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez) and Jonah Barnett (University of Washington – Seattle) to our lab through the REU Program. As part of their training, they are conducting field work in the Dominican Republic with our Postdoctoral Associate Saúl Domínguez-Guerrero to better understand how thermoregulatory behavior shapes evolution of Caribbean anole lizards. We are excited to have them in the lab and can't wait to see what they discover!

Ph.D candidate, Nathalie Alomar, is featured in a new Yale News story highlighting her research on woodland salamanders and their hidden dimensions of physiological diversity. This paper - a collaborative effort among many members of the lab - just published in PNAS. Read full story on Yale News, and download the paper on our Publications tab!

​We were happy to host Piero Bello De Lillo through the Summer Undergraduate Research in the Environmental Sciences (SURES) program. Visiting from the Dominican Republic, Piero is currently working with us at Yale on our project on the physiological diversity of Caribbean rain frogs (genus Eleutherodactylus). He is gaining experience in molecular and evolutionary techniques, including DNA extraction, sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis. He will also be participating in fieldwork in the Dominican Republic, where he will help collect ecological, behavioral, and environmental data and assist with physiological measurements such as water loss, metabolic rate, and heat tolerance.
It has been great having Piero in the lab, and we really appreciate his contributions and enthusiasm so far.

This summer, we are delighted to welcome Paris Williams, joining us from Florida A&M University through the Yale SURF program, and Faizah Faroque from Yale University through the Yale Peabody Museum Summer Internship.
Paris and Faizah will be working with Dr. Laura R. V. Alencar, Associate Research Scientist in the EEB at Yale University, on a project investigating the evolution of sexual size dimorphism in rattlesnakes.
Most of their work will take place in the Peabody collections, where they will measure preserved specimens from across the rattlesnake group. They will also develop coding and data analysis skills while exploring the remarkable morphological diversity found across more than 50 species of rattlesnakes.
We look forward to an exciting summer of research! 🐍
Website: ​https://alencarlaura.weebly.com/

Last week the lab had a reason to celebrate as Julia Laterza successfully defended her PhD dissertation. Congratulations, Doctor Julia Laterza! Your dedication, perseverance, and hard work have led to this remarkable achievement, and we are excited to see what comes next.

Today was a great day for the lab: Henry Camarillo successfully defended his PhD dissertation. 
Congratulations, Dr. Camarillo! We are very happy and excited to see what comes next for you. 

Lila Salazar (undergraduate student) and Saúl Domínguez (postdoctoral researcher) presented their work this year at SICB 2026. We are proud of their excellent presentations! 

We are very proud to congratulate Laura Alencar for receiving an Honorable Mention in the ScientistA 2025 Award. Laura’s achievements continue to inspire a new generation of Brazilian and international scientists working to make a difference through knowledge, innovation, and collaboration.
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Congratulations, Laura! We cannot wait to see what is next.