Rita Afonso

I have graduated in Biology in 2018 and completed my MSc degree in Evolutionary Biology and Development in 2022 from the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon. I developed my MSc thesis in cE3c (Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes), where I studied the population genetics of the Bermuda petrel, a highly endangered seabird species endemic to the Bermuda islands, using a high-throughput sequencing technique. I have also worked on population genetics of other species, including a captive flock of Caribbean Flamingos and the Bottlenose dolphin.

Currently, I’m a PhD student under the BIODIV program at the University of Porto, developing my work in the EVOLGEN group based at CIBIO-InBIO. My current research interests are in evolutionary biology and genetics. In particular, I find it fascinating to uncover the developmental pathways linking genotypes to phenotypes, with a particular focus on understanding the mechanistic bases of variation in traits of adaptative value, such as colouration. My PhD thesis is focused on feather and colour patterning morphogenesis employing single-cell omics methodologies.