Computational Genetics and Evolution @UNM
Davorka Gulisija, Assistant Professor
Davorka completed her PhD in Computational Genetics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her postdoc in Mathematical Biology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Nawsheen Tarannum Promy, PhD Candidate
Nawsheen completed her BS in Computer Science at the Military Institute of Science and Technology, Bangladesh, and is currently pursuing her PhD in Computer Science at the UNM. She is working on the evolution of plasticity, recombination rates, and epistasis in temporally varying habitats. She enjoys traveling and collecting coins.
Shweta Agarwal, PhD Student
Shweta completed her BA in Liberal Arts and Sciences at St. John’s College, Santa Fe. She is examining the evolution of phenotypic plasticity in response to environmental change.
Xavier Larason, URISE Fellow
Xavier is an undergraduate student in Chemical Engineering, with interests in physics and computational biology. He is also interested in baseball and fitness, and loves to spend time with his family. He is conducting theoretical research on the effects of trait asynchrony on multi-locus balanced polymorphism under temporally varying selection, and the role of migration in the evolution of genome architecture.
Azadeh Golduzian, PhD Candidate
Azadeh earned an undergraduate degree in Statistics at the University of Tehran, Iran, and an MS degree in Statistics at the University of New Mexico. In our lab she is pursuing a Ph.D. in Computational Biology, where she is applying her expertise in data science to study the genetic basis of human complex trait variation, a field she is deeply passionate about.
Keya Biswas, MS Student
Keya completed a BS in Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology from the University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. For the MS research, she is exploring the evolution of plastic recombination rates in changing environments. In her free time, she likes to travel and play music.
Brandon Bujewski, Undergraduate Researcher
Brandon is an undergraduate currently studying Biology, Chemistry, and ASL at the University of New Mexico. He is interested in computational genetics and evolution in response to changing conditions. In his free time, he enjoys baking, lifting weights, and spending time with family and friends.
Steve Gonzales, Undergraduate Researcher
Steve is an undergraduate student studying Biology at the University of New Mexico. He enjoys spending time with his friends and his dog, working out, and gaming. He is starting research in computational genetics, studying how recombination rates and dispersal shape the genetic makeup of microbial populations.
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Alumni:
Eve Rowland, PhD, 2025.
Katerina Johnson, MS, 2025.
Mitchell Newberry, Research Assistant Professor, 2023-2025.
Andisheh Dadashi, PhD, 2024.
Adina Ataran, Honors Thesis - Summa Cum Laude, 2024.
Bryce Roberts, Honors Thesis - Summa Cum Laude, 2021.
Katerina Johnson, MS, 2025.
Mitchell Newberry, Research Assistant Professor, 2023-2025.
Andisheh Dadashi, PhD, 2024.
Adina Ataran, Honors Thesis - Summa Cum Laude, 2024.
Bryce Roberts, Honors Thesis - Summa Cum Laude, 2021.