Rachel Turba
she/her
I am a postdoc from Brazil, currently working at the Laboratory of Genomics and Molecular Biology at PUCRS in the development and application of environmental DNA metabarcoding for surveying and monitoring of Neotropical biodiversity. My background was focused on Zoology and Systematics, working with museum collections of marine snails to understand broader biogeographic questions about the deep sea. Since then, I have expanded my work to explore different molecular techniques to inform conservation plans for endangered species and habitats. This includes using whole-genome sequencing to investigate demographic history and structure of endangered species, incorporating also historic DNA data from museum specimens. I also use environmental DNA to assess biological communities and habitat shifts in the face of disasters. I am also deeply interested in science communication and open science, the history and philosophy of science, and how people think and learn.
I will be organizing a meet-up to talk about SORTEE (Society for Open, Reliable and Transparent Ecology and Evolutionary Biology) during the event, so reach out if you are curious.