LyAndra Lujan

Education:

Scholarly Achievements:

Graduated with Honors with an Associates of Science in Integrated Studies and an Associates of Arts in Anthropology from the Central New Mexico Community College.
Graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Evolutionary Anthropology from the University of New Mexico in May 2019.
University of New Mexico Anthropology Department Honors
Honors Designation from the University of New Mexico Honors College
The John Martin “Jack” Campbell Award for Undergraduate Student Research
NSF GRFP Honorable Mention
NIH Genetics Training Program Trainee

Presentations:

Presented a poster at the 2019 AGSU conference on the pylogeography of the ALDH2-2 deficiency allele.
Presented research on the speciation of Aglaeactis aliciae hummingbirds at the Western Field
Ornithologist 2019 conference tour of the Museum of Southwestern Biology.
Presented ALDH2-2 evidence of selection research in progress to the UNM Ornithology Journal Club.
Three Rotation talks given to University of Oregon IEE in Fall 2020, Winter 2021, and Spring 2021.
Presented Ph.D. research proposal to the University of Oregon Department of Biology in Spring 2022 on Investigating Variation in Meiotic Recombination Rate in Stickleback
Trainee Talk given to the University of Oregon Department of Biology in Spring 2023 on Investigating Recombination Rate Variation Through Population-level Genetic Variation in Stickleback and Crows
Trainee Talk given to the University of Oregon Department of Biology in Winter 2024 on Investigating Recombination Rate Variation Through Population-level Genetic Variation in Crows
Poster at Evolution 2024 on Investigating Genetic Divergence of Meiotic Recombination Genes in Corvidae.

Research Interests:

Using population genetics and computational genomics to study the evolution of proteins involved in meiotic recombination.

Previous Research:

The human ALDH2-2 allele in East Asian populations, specifically interested in a period of frequency gain and evidence of selection. Dr. Jeffrey Long’s Genetics Computation Lab at the University of New Mexico, Undergraduate Research/Post-Baccalaureate Research, August 2018 – February 2020.
The population genetics of sunbeam hummingbirds including evidence of hybrid species and adaptations linked to high altitudes. Dr. Christopher Witt’s Ornithology Lab at University of New Mexico, Post-Baccalaureate Research, July 2019 – September 2020.
Fall 2020 Singh lab rotation: The HORMA Domain containing proteins HTP1 and HTP2 in C. elegans.
Winter 2021 Ting lab rotation: Comparing differences in AD-Libs output on haplotyped and un-haplotyped African elephant hybrid simulation data.
Spring 2021 Cresko lab rotation: Applying Single Cell Sequencing techniques to zebrafish and stickleback.

Other Experience:

Field Assistant for Jessica Williamson’s Dissertation research on Giant Hummingbird (Patagona gigas) Migration in the Andes of Peru, February 2020 – March 2020.
Teaching Assistant for BI380 Evolution, BI211 Cell Biology, BI213 Population Ecology and Evolution, and BI359 Plant Biology.
Graduate Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Students Vice President 2023-2024 academic year.
Graduate Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Students President 2024-2025 academic year.

Skills:

Programming languages C++, python, R.
Single Cell Sequencing using Cell Ranger and Seurat.
Analysis currently used in Population Genetics including PCA, Admixture analysis, Phylogenetic Trees, Extended Haplotype Homozygosity test, Slatkin test, and PAML.
Processing population-level genetic data through GATK and Picard.
Collect and prepare ornithological museum specimens.

Relevant Coursework:

Reviewed for:

Last Edited August 2024