Zachary Rodriguez
He/Him
I am bi and I am an evolutionary biology PhD student.//
I am a herpetologist and molecular biologist. I use genomics, phylogenetics, and bioinformatics to better understand how evolutionary processes drive and maintain the diversity we see today (especially in snakes/lizards). My dissertation research examines the evolutionary history and genomic underpinnings of green blood in lizards. I’m super passionate about scientific outreach and spend much of my time talking to the public about biology, natural history, and lizards.
I am an advocate for diversity and inclusion. I am here to help underrepresented folks (women, minorities, LGBTQ+) in STEM succeed, find mentors, increase their visibility, and air out their struggles. To thrive in STEM as an underprivileged first-gen student, I require(d) a lot of love and support from diversity programs and several amazing mentor. Now I aim to pay it forward.
Apart from my research, I am a Puerto Rican from NY who loves to cook, listen to music, and play video games. Thank you for starting this and I can’t wait to meet some of the beautiful people on 500queerScientists!