Daniela Zarate
Name: Daniela Zarate, PhD
Function: UC Chancellor's Fellow working on ant social supergenes with Dr. Jessica Purcell at UCR. (However, she is still in love with honey bees as she did her PhD work at UC San Diego studying the genetics and behavior of the southern California Survivor Bee (scutellata-hybrid).
Research: In collaboration with CIBER, Daniela has continued to analyze the genomic profile of the Survivor Bee population to identify the ancestral origin of genes associated with climate adaptation, defensive behavior, and hygiene. Daniela considers herself a life-long student of social insects and is broadly interested in the evolution, ecology, and behavior of these collective organisms. Additionally, Daniela is extensively involved in DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) service and is passionate about mentoring and advocating for underrepresented students in STEM fields.
When she's not debugging her code, Daniela likes to paint, draw, thrift, hike, camp, garden, and spend time with her two pugs. Follow her adventures on her YouTube channel "La Planning Diva," where she shares how she uses paper planning to organize her life, advance her career, and plan her adventures!
Contact me: danielaz@ucr.edu