Andrés Moreno Estrada
Principal Investigator | andres.moreno@cinvestav.mx | Twitter | Scholar 
I am a medical doctor and population geneticist deeply interested in molecular evolution and its implications in human population history and medical genomics. During my PhD I was trained in evolutionary and population genetics, which complemented my previous medical background. As a postdoctoral fellow with Dr. Carlos Bustamante and research associate at Stanford University, my work integrated genomics, evolution and precision medicine in many different projects involving large collections of populations, in particular from the Americas and the Pacific. Our group is interested in human evolution, adaptation, and population history as well as the biomedical implications of human genetic diversity in underserved populations of the world.
Karla Benítez (Charlie)
Laboratory Manager | karla.benitez@cinvestav.mx 
Hi, I’m Karla Benítez (Charlie), an environmental technology engineer specializing in quality management, focusing on international standards like ISO 9001. I enjoy working in teams to improve processes and ensure quality in our projects. Outside the lab, I’m passionate about sports, especially volleyball, which I’ve been playing since I was 8. Staying active is important to me, so I always look for quality time with my family and friends or to enjoy my own activities.
Mariana Ramírez
Laboratory Technician | mcmarianaramirez@gmail.com 
I am a Pharmaceutical Chemist Biologist with a Master of Science in Biology, from the Biology Department at Natural and Exact Sciences Division of Guanajuato University. I have many years of experience in biotechnology and molecular biology techniques. I worked as a Project Assistant at the Nanotechnology and Biotechnology Pharmaceutical Department at Psicofarma Company in México City and then as a Research Assistant at the Biodiversification Genomics Laboratory at LANGEBIO- CINVESTAV, Irapuato, responsible for providing technical al theoretical support to students. Recently, I joined Moreno’s Lab team as a laboratory assistant. Outside the lab, I´m a runner also interested in environmental issues and natural cosmetics, with two lovely kids at home.
Marisol Naydú Espitia Fajardo
Postdoctoral Fellow | Twitter 
I am a biologist with a Master’s and PhD in Sciences-Biology from the Universidad del Valle, Colombia. I am passionate about biology, especially population genetics. The focus of my academic training has been the study of the genetic diversity and structure of indigenous populations in Colombia. My goal is to try to understand their population dynamics and their phylogenetic relationships with other Amerindian populations. Currently, I have joined Dr. Moreno’s lab as an intern to deepen my knowledge in the area of bioinformatics and apply it to my line of research. Outside of science, I enjoy swimming in the afternoons, listening to music while doing puzzles or sudoku, reading romance novels and spending time with my family and friends.
Camila Tamburrini
Postdoctoral Fellow | camila.tamburrini@cinvestav.mx | Twitter 
I am a bioanthropologist graduated from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), Argentina. During my PhD, I investigated genetic variation among ancestral hunter-gatherer populations that inhabited central Patagonia during the Holocene, always approaching the associated communities with respect for their cultural and spiritual heritage. From the early stages of my career, I have had a keen interest in forensic genetics. I believe that methodological advancements in ancient DNA research hold significant potential for application in the forensic field. I am passionate about furthering my academic training at the intersection of these two disciplines. Recently, I joined Moreno’s Lab team, where I intend to advance my bioinformatics skills and support my colleagues with their projects. During my free time I like learning about music and swimming.
José Antonio Corona (Josian)
Postdoctoral Fellow | jose.corona@cinvestav.mx | Twitter 
I am a Biologist with a PhD in Plant Biotechnology, specializing in bioinformatics. I have extensive experience in gene expression analysis and comparative genomics. My research also covers metagenomics, transcriptomics, and the conservation of long non-coding RNAs. Currently, I am a postdoctoral researcher at the Human and Population Evolutionary Genomics Laboratory and serve as the Project Manager of LatinCells, an initiative funded by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI). LatinCells aims to map the single-cell gene expression diversity of Indigenous and underrepresented populations in Latin America.
Daniela Orozco
PhD Student | daniela.orozco@cinvestav.mx 
Hi! I’m Daniela Orozco Perez, a sixth-semester PhD student working on ancient DNA research. My project is focused on Cañada de la Virgen, an archaeological site in Mexico, where I’m studying the genetic history of the elite individuals buried there. I’m really into data visualization—it’s one of my favorite ways to make sense of complex information. Outside the lab, you’ll either find me bouldering, watching films, hanging out with friends, or petting cute animals.
Carmina Barberena-Jonas | she/her
PhD Student | carmina.barberena@cinvestav.mx | Twitter | Scholar 
I'm PhD candidate at Cinvestav and I’m a graduate from the Undergraduate Program on Genomic Sciences from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). My current project in MorenoLab involves the analysis of identity-by-descent genomic segments to determine the population structure of Mexico and their implications in biomedical traits using the data from the Mexican BioBank (MXB). I’m developing the tool MexVar to explore and query the MXB biomedical data. I am also involved in other projects as the Oceanian Genome Variation Project and LatinCells. I like photography, surrealist paintings, and camping. I have two lovable, super smart, albino rats, Genevieve and Rosalind (https://www.instagram.com/herederas_de.la_luna).
Ram González
PhD Student | ram.gonzalez@cinvestav.mx | Twitter | Scholar 
I am a computational biologist deeply interested in human genetics and evolution. As a PhD student in the Morenolab, my research focuses on studying genomic patterns of adaptation in human populations from the Pacific and Latin America. I also enjoy hiking and outdoor activities, a good match of Catan, and learning new languages (Jag är lära sig svenska!)
Santiago Medina
PhD Student | santiago.medina@cinvestav.mx | Website | Scholar 
I am a computational biologist with a degree in agro-genomic sciences from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). My research passion lies in evolutionary genetics, where I aim to learn about the population history and migration dynamics in indigenous populations from Mexico. I also have a deep interest in mathematics, with a particular emphasis on probability theory. Outside of my academic pursuits, I enjoy spending time with friends, exploring nature through hiking, and training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
Octavio Zambada Moreno
PhD Student | octavio.zambadam@cinvestav.mx | Twitter 
I am a genomic biotechnologist interested in transcriptomics, gene regulation and systems biology, both in bioinformatics and wetlab . For my PhD project, I am working with single cell transcriptomics and population genomics of Latin American indigenous people, particularly with immune cells, trying to understand how genetic variation shapes gene regulation. In my free time I enjoy playing video games and board games, I also like to play volleyball and learning about food around the world.
María Fernanda Elías Navarro
PhD Student | maria.eliasn@cinvestav.mx | Twitter 
I am Maria Fernanda Elias Navarro, originally from Guadalajara, where I earned my undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of Guadalajara. I later completed a master’s degree in Integrative Biology, focusing on introgression analysis among archaic hominins. Currently, I am a second-semester PhD student in Integrative Biology, specializing in paleogenomic analyses of an archaeological site in Xalla, Teotihuacan. I am passionate about evolution and population genomics. In my free time, I enjoy playing volleyball, watching horror movies, and spending time with my dogs.
Sofía Vieyra
Masters Student | ivieyrasnchez.00@gmail.com 
I am a computational biologist. I have a Master's Degree in Integrative Biology from the Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute and a Bachelor's Degree in Genomic Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). My research in the lab focuses mainly on paleogenomics, both ancient humans and introgression from archaic hominins. I am also involved in writing pipelines for analyses. I am interested in bioinformatics, population genetics, evolution, and domestication.
Mayté Cervantes
Masters Student | mayte.cervantes@cinvestav.mx 
I am a nutritionist, graduated from the University of Guanajuato. I am interested in public health, epidemiology, public policy, and (of course) nutrition. The proyect that I am currently working on is focused on the analysis of seroprevalence of important pathogens in the Mexican population using data from the Mexican BioBank and the Mexican Health Survey 2000. I love reading books, outdoor activities, watching the sky at night and spending time with my family, friends, and cats.