Omar E. Cornejo Ordaz, PhD, Principal Investigator
Population geneticist interested in the evolutionary processes that shape the interaction of hosts and microbes
I am a population geneticist interested in the evolution of hosts and microbes. I see academia as a place where individuals have the opportunity to dream of a better world and find the tools to make those dreams real. I work actively to increase the representation of non-white minorities and women in higher education, academia, and STEM careers. Nationally and internationally I facilitate the training of future scientists and students from all backgrounds. For example, I am a core faculty of the Latin American Network for Conservation Genetics (REGENEC), an organization that was created in 2004 with the ultimate goal of training Latin American scientists (PhD students and postdocs) in multiple aspects of conservation biology. I am privileged to be in a position where I can help others achieve their goals and help them build a place within the science community.
When I am not doing research I enjoy time with my family, cooking, baking bread (an acquired trait from COVID times), jogging and hiking.
e-mail: omcornej(at)ucsc.edu
Muh-Ching Yee, PhD, Lab Manager
Muh-ching (M.C.) has worked as a laboratory researcher at Stanford University in the departments of Genetics, Chemical and Systems Biology, Biology, and the Carnegie Institution for Science. M.C.’s childhood passion for solving the New York Times crossword has led to her current work playing with the letters of the genetic code in genomics and synthetic biology in human, animal and plant systems. M.C. received an SB in Chemistry at MIT, and a PhD in Chemistry at UC Berkeley, CA.
Matt is an evolutionary geneticist interested in the use of genomics data in precision medicine. His background is in applying bioinformatics tools and statistics to genomics datasets to study evolution at the molecular level. Matt earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from Macalester College and his PhD in Evolutionary Biology from UC Santa Cruz. For his doctoral dissertation, he investigated the genomics of speciation, hybridization, and introgression in sea urchins. In the Cornejo lab, he is working to identify genetic variants in humans that influence the species composition of the cervicovaginal microbiome and modulate the risk of bacterial vaginosis, infectious diseases, and other gynecologic conditions.
email: mglasena@ucsc.edu
Obed García, PhD, Postdoctoral Scholar
Obed is a population geneticist and evolutionary anthropologist who is broadly interested in understanding the genomic diversity of immunity, particularly how it relates to infectious disease. He has a keen interest in disentangling the challenges posed by the MHC complex. Prior to joining the Cornejo lab, Obed completed his PhD in Biological Anthropology in 2020 from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and a Postdoc in Biomedical Data Science at Stanford University 2023. He has conducted fieldwork in Peru (high altitude), Mexico (genomic variation), and Guatemala (Dengue-infection). He has conducted research on archaic introgression, migration, epidemiology, among other subject fields.
e-mail: ogarci12(at)ucsc.edu
Evan Ho, PhD Graduate Student
My name is Evan Ho and I’m a first year graduate student in the Cornejo-Kelley lab. I’ve done some pretty cool research in the past, topics ranging from spiders pheromones, to forensics, to exploring HIV genes, and I hope to keep diversifying my research experience! I’ve also done a lot of teaching, from elementary school kids to undergraduates, and I’m always down to talk about the many journeys (and challenges) of teaching. For fun, I love to do photography, play video games, go on hikes and hang out with my cats.
e-mail: evho(at)ucsc.edu
Awesome Undergraduate researchers
Alexander Symons
My name is Alexander (Alex) Symons, and I’m a second year undergraduate at UCSC. I am pursuing a Computer Engineering B.S., and learning a lot about machine learning and biology through my work in the lab! I enjoy using machine learning to discover new patterns in data with real research applications. I’m relatively new to research but my work so far includes creating a generalized classification tool for microbiome communities. For fun I enjoy going on hikes and walks, playing games, working on programming projects, and learning about machine learning.
e-mail: aesymon(at)ucsc.edu
Julianna Pavlenko
My name is Julianna Pavlenko and I am a third year Global and Community Health with a focus on biomedical studies undergraduate student in the Cornejo-Kelley lab. I am a first generation Ukrainian college student with a keen interest in the biology and more specifically, the interactions and analysis of biological data and its uses. I have previously volunteered in hospitals in their plebotomy and geriatrics departments, spent time in a research department dealing with FDA trials, and am looking into to volunteering at the Red Cross. Being a part of the Slavic Student Association, UCSC Women in Science, and recently UAEM UCSC allow me to stay connected and involved here at UCSC. In my free time, I love to read (my favorites have been Jane Austen and Emily Brontë novels), go on walks, listen to music, and cook/bake with friends!
e-mail: jpavlenk(at)ucsc.edu
Darlene Mendoza
My name is Darlene Mendoza, and I am an undergraduate student in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UC Santa Cruz. As a first-generation college student from a low-income community, I am passionate about advocating for equity in science and education. I have a deep interest in genetics and mutations, particularly from an evolutionary perspective, which has fueled my involvement in research. This includes participating in the UCSC Genomics Institute’s Research Mentoring Internship Program and getting to work in the Cornejo lab. In my spare time I like to try new things with friends/family, read, listen to music and dance!!! I love dancing
e-mail: daemendo(at)ucsc.edu