Carolina A. Martinez Gutierrez, Assistant Professor (PI)
Born and raised in Baja, Mexico, Carolina's fascination with microbes began when she read about how cyanobacteria triggered the Great Oxidation Event billions of years ago. She earned her bachelor's degree in Marine Biology from Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur and her master's degree in Microbial Ecology from CIBNOR, both in Mexico. After working with microbial mats and exploring microbiology and molecular biology, Carolina pursued a PhD in Biological Sciences at Virginia Tech, where she developed a passion for bioinformatics and the evolution of marine microbes. She further advanced her research through a Simons Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in Marine Microbial Ecology. Outside of her academic work, Carolina enjoys reading, hiking, and cooking. Carolina is fortunate to serve as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth Science at UC Santa Barbara, where she continues to explore the evolution of microbes within the broader context of Earth's history.
Born and raised in Baja, Mexico, Carolina's fascination with microbes began when she read about how cyanobacteria triggered the Great Oxidation Event billions of years ago. She earned her bachelor's degree in Marine Biology from Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur and her master's degree in Microbial Ecology from CIBNOR, both in Mexico. After working with microbial mats and exploring microbiology and molecular biology, Carolina pursued a PhD in Biological Sciences at Virginia Tech, where she developed a passion for bioinformatics and the evolution of marine microbes. She further advanced her research through a Simons Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship in Marine Microbial Ecology. Outside of her academic work, Carolina enjoys reading, hiking, and cooking. Carolina is fortunate to serve as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Earth Science at UC Santa Barbara, where she continues to explore the evolution of microbes within the broader context of Earth's history.
Yifan Zhu, Graduate Student
Yifan is a graduate student in the lab where she investigates the origin and evolution of the main metabolic pathways. She is particularly interested in leveraging phylogenomics to uncover the molecular mechanisms that drive metabolic adaptation and evolution in extreme environments. Yifan completed her bachelor’s degree at University College London, where her undergraduate thesis explored microbial evolution toward pathogenicity using mycobacteria as a model. This work sparked her interest in studying bacterial and archaeal evolution through comparative genomics and advanced statistical approaches, including phylogenomic reconstruction and pan-genome-wide association analysis. Outside the lab, Yifan enjoys scuba diving and gaming.
Yifan is a graduate student in the lab where she investigates the origin and evolution of the main metabolic pathways. She is particularly interested in leveraging phylogenomics to uncover the molecular mechanisms that drive metabolic adaptation and evolution in extreme environments. Yifan completed her bachelor’s degree at University College London, where her undergraduate thesis explored microbial evolution toward pathogenicity using mycobacteria as a model. This work sparked her interest in studying bacterial and archaeal evolution through comparative genomics and advanced statistical approaches, including phylogenomic reconstruction and pan-genome-wide association analysis. Outside the lab, Yifan enjoys scuba diving and gaming.
Sayantoni Chaudhuri, Graduate Student
Sayo is a graduate student in the Department of Earth Science. She is curious about the deepest branches of the Tree of Life and aims to understand how early life evolved and diversified. To do this, she draws ideas from evolutionary biology and geology to explore large-scale evolutionary patterns. She is also fascinated by the ways early life interacted with Earth's environments and hopes to explore these connections in the future. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from the University of Calcutta and a master’s degree in Bioinformatics from Banaras Hindu University, India. Before coming to UCSB, Sayo worked at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, where she explored problems in complex systems, and later worked as a bioinformatician at a vaccine startup.
Sayo is a graduate student in the Department of Earth Science. She is curious about the deepest branches of the Tree of Life and aims to understand how early life evolved and diversified. To do this, she draws ideas from evolutionary biology and geology to explore large-scale evolutionary patterns. She is also fascinated by the ways early life interacted with Earth's environments and hopes to explore these connections in the future. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Microbiology from the University of Calcutta and a master’s degree in Bioinformatics from Banaras Hindu University, India. Before coming to UCSB, Sayo worked at the Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar, where she explored problems in complex systems, and later worked as a bioinformatician at a vaccine startup.
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We are looking for graduate students (MS and/or PhD) who want to
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Former members:
Ivan J. Moreno, Postdoctoral Researcher
Jiveny Knight, Undergraduate Researcher
Lily Strange, Undergraduate Researcher
Danny Le, Undergraduate Researcher
Ivan J. Moreno, Postdoctoral Researcher
Jiveny Knight, Undergraduate Researcher
Lily Strange, Undergraduate Researcher
Danny Le, Undergraduate Researcher
