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In my free time, I love traveling and learning languages, baking, reading, dancing, looking for animals, hiking, and practicing almost any kind of outdoor sport (on land or in water).
Finally, I love dry humor and I am very sarcastic!

E-mail (remove spaces):
ylenia.chiari at nottingham.ac.uk

I carried out my undergraduate studies in Mexico, and got my degree in Pharmaceutical Chemical Biology with thesis work on barcoding and genetic variability of Leatherback sea turtles. Currently, I am doing a Master's in Genetics Biotechnology at the Instituto Politecnico Nacional in Mexico. For my Master's, I worked on the genetic diversity of Mexican nesting hawksbill sea turtle populations. I am currently doing a PhD at George Mason University (Virginia, USA) working on conservation genetics of Kemp's ridley sea turtles.
I enjoy doing field work at the beach, traveling to new places, nature, basketball, going to church, and trying new coffee shops. I am funnier in Spanish!

she/her/they/them
Co-supervised with Dr. Glaberman, University of Birmingham (UK)

I am a nontraditional student who began my academic journey with an Associate of Applied Science in Veterinary Technology from Cedar Valley College, Texas (2009). After six years working in an equine veterinary hospital, I returned to higher education, earning a B.A. (2018) and M.S. in Biology from the University of South Alabama. My research interests center on evolutionary biology, particularly how disease interactions influence diversity. My master’s work explored mechanisms supporting large body size, longevity, and tumor suppression in tortoises using cellular assays and comparative genomics. I am now pursuing a PhD at the University of Birmingham, focusing on longevity and cancer in reptiles. Outside of research, I enjoy reading, kayaking, mushroom foraging, traveling, and exploring nature with my dogs.