Meet the Next Generation
NextGEN is a space created to promote and spotlight the work of Early Career Researchers (ECR) within the ASCEND team. One of the goals of the ASCEND Institute is to train the next generation of integrative biologists with the interdisciplinary skills, capacity, perspectives, and passion required for integrative research that enhances their traditional “disciplinary” training. NextGEN provides a space to create a sense of community among ECRs within our team, provide a platform where ECRs can get practical experience to write briefly about their work, describe their research to a broader audience, and enhance their online presence among the wider academic community.
NextGen: Mariana Hernandez Leal
Maria Susana Hernandez Leal, an ASCEND postdoctoral associate, studies associations between spectral and genetic diversity in plants. She conducted her PhD at UNAM in Mexico, and fell in love with the study of evolution in high school.