Office 046, Lab 038
Research Assistant Professor - Department of Biological Sciences
Assistant Investigator - Edison Biotechnology Institute
Adjunct Faculty - Translational Biomedical Sciences Program
Education
Ph.D. in Biology from Texas Tech University
M.Sc. in Biology from Texas Tech University
B.S. in Biology from Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador, Quito, Ecuador
Research Interests
My research takes a multidisciplinary approach to examine how natural populations differentiate across space and evolve in response to varying environmental pressures. This encompasses integrating ecological genomics with phenotypic analyses to uncover patterns of adaptive variation in wild populations. I also focus on exploring novel sources of natural products with potential therapeutic uses. Within this area, I am developing a research program to understand how biological diversity can serve as a measure of chemical diversity, helping to identify new sources of compounds with antimicrobial, anticancer, and antiviral properties. By studying how organisms evolve in response to environmental pressures and exploring new reservoirs of therapeutic agents, I aim to establish a connection between evolutionary biology and natural products research.
Relevant Publications
- For a complete list of publications, visit Google Scholar .
Montavon, A., Marchán-Rivadeneira, M. R., & Han, Y. (2024). Polycyclic tetramate macrolactams and their potential as anticancer agents . Organics, 5(4), 361-377.
Yang, Y., Grace, M., Kessler, C., Marchán-Rivadeneira, M. R., Zhou, Y., & Han, Y. (2024). Adeno-associated virus-mediated CRISPR-Cas13 knockdown of papain-like protease from SARS-CoV-2 virus . J 2024, Vol. 7, Pages 393-405, 7(3), 393–405.
Portero, C. E., Han, Y., & Marchán-Rivadeneira, M. R.(2023). Advances on the biosynthesis of pyridine rings . Engineering Microbiology, 3(2).
Yang, Y., Kessler, M. G. C., Marchán-Rivadeneira, M. R., & Han, Y. (2023). Combating antimicrobial resistance in the post-genomic era: rapid antibiotic discovery . Molecules, 28(10).
Auteri, G. G., Marchán-Rivadeneira, M.R., Olson, D. H., & Lacey Knowles, L. (2022). Landscape connectivity among coastal giant salamander ( Dicamptodon tenebrosus ) populations shows no association with land use, fire frequency, or river drainage but exhibits genetic signatures of potential conservation concern. PLOS ONE, 17(6), e0268882.
Prates, I., Singhal, S., Marchán-Rivadeneira, M. R., Grundler, M. R., Moritz, C., Donnellan, S. C., & Rabosky, D. L. (2022). Genetic and ecogeographic controls on species cohesion in Australia’s most diverse lizard radiation . American Naturalist, 199(2), E57–E75.
Narvaez-Trujillo, A., Marchán-Rivadeneira, M. R., Veloz-Villavicencio, E., & Portero, C. E. (2021). What Do We Know About Fungal Endophyte Diversity in a Mega Diverse Country? An Appeal for Increased Conservation and Research. In Neotropical Endophytic Fungi (pp. 131–149). Springer, Cham.
Marchán-Rivadeneira, M. R., Alvarado-Serrano, D. F., Mueller, B., Strauss, R., & Baker, R. J. (2019). Patterns of fluctuating asymmetry and shape variation in Myodes glareolus from Chernobyl, Ukraine. In L. C. Bradley, R.D.; Genoways, H.H.; Schmidly, D.J; Bradley (Ed.), Special Publications from Field to Laboratory: A Memorial Volume In Honor of Robert J. Baker (pp. 663–680). Natural History Museum of Texas Tech University.
Singhal, S., Huang, H., Grundler, M. R., Marchán-Rivadeneira, M. R., Holmes, I., Title, P. O., Donnellan, S. C., & Rabosky, D. L. (2018). Does population structure predict the rate of speciation? A comparative test across Australia’s most diverse vertebrate radiation. American Naturalist, 192(4), 432–447.
Marchán-Rivadeneira, M., Larsen, P., Phillips, C., Strauss, R., & Baker, R. (2012). On the association between environmental gradients and skull size variation in the great fruit-eating bat, Artibeus lituratus (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae). Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 105(3), 623–634.
Larsen, P. A., Marchán-Rivadeneira, M. R., & Baker, R. J. (2010). Natural hybridization generates mammalian lineage with species characteristics . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 107(25), 11447–11452.