resume

For a complete academic history, please download the PDF version of my CV

Basics

Name Viviana Romero Alarcon
Label Computational Biologists
Email vivianaromeroalarcon@umb.edu
Phone alarconvv@gmail.com
Url https://alarconvv.github.io/
Summary I am a computational biologist at the University of Massachusetts—Boston and a member of the Paul English Applied AI Institute. I am interested in software development, statistical modeling, and the integration of new artificial intelligence technologies into the ecology, evolutionary, and conservation fields. My primary research is to leverage the power of AI to improve reproducibility and replicability in sciences. Moreover, I am interested in studies of biodiversity patterns, traits, and anthropogenic factors that have driven extinction selectivity in the past, are exacerbating the extinction risk in the present, and are determining the retention of the species in the future.

Work

  • 2025.02 - 2025.05
    Teaching Assistant - Data Analysis Biol 617
    University of Massachusetts Boston
    Teaching assistant at the lab of Biol 607 - Data analysis using R as main programming language
    • Data analysis in R
  • 2021.12 - 2023.09
    Research Assistant
    Universidad de la Santísima Concepción - Concepcion, Chile
    Project:A flexible web platform for learning, teaching, and analysis in phylogenetic comparative biology Fondecyt Leader: Dr. Liam Revell.
    • R programming, Shiny apps
  • 2021.09 - 2023.10
    Research Assistant
    Universidad del Rosario - Bogota, Colombia
    Project: New Turtles and Fossil Snakes from the Miocene at the Tatacoa Desert, Huila - Colombia: Phylogenetic, histological and paleobiogeographic implications - Colciencias Leader: Dr. Edwin Cadena
    • Databases - morphological characters
  • 2018.02 - 2021.08
    Lecturer
    Universidad Industrial de Santander - Bucaramanga, Colombia
    Statistics for Biologists / Systematic - lab sessions
    • Data analysis, R, phylogenetics, Biogeography

Education

  • 2023 - 2027

    Boston, USA

    PhD
    University of Massachusetts
    Integrative Biosciences: Bioinformatics
    • Data Analysis, Statistics for Machine Learning, Advanced Data Analysis, Artificial Intelligence, Scientific Communication
  • 2020 - 2017

    Bucaramnaga, Colombia

    MSc
    Universidad Industrial de Santander
    Biology
    • Advance ecology, Biogeography, Systematics
  • 2008 - 2016

    Bucaramnaga, Colombia

    Bachelor
    Universidad Industrial de Santander
    Biology
    • Focus: Biogeography and Systematics

Volunteer

  • 2008.08 - 2014.02

    Bucaramanga, Colombia

    Curator Assistant
    Natural History Museum - herpetology colection
    Curator assistant for the herpetology colection

Awards

  • 2017
    1st Place: Poster.
    VI Simposio Colombiano de Biología evolutiva - Cali, Colombia
    Title: Selecting priors in Bayesian Inference: An example with the superfamily Testudinoidea (Testudines: Cryptodira)

Certificates

Computational Molecular Evolution
Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies 2025-05
AI+Science Summer School
University of Chicago 2024-03
Phylogeny DevelopeR Workshop
University of Massachusetts 2019-11
Applied Phylogenetics
Univeristy of California 2019-07
Revbayes Workshop
Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales 2018-04
Course on phylogenetic comparative methods in R
University of Massachusetts 2016-06

Skills

Phylogenetics and Biogeography
Evolution
R programming
Phylogenetic comparative Biology
Shiny

Languages

Spanish
Native speaker
English
Intermedate

Interests

Phylogenetics and Biogeography
Specietion/extinction rates
Diversification models
AI
Natural Language processing

Projects

  • GUANE:
    Guane: a shiny platform for comparative phylogenetic methods”
    • Phylogenetic comparative Biology
    • Shiny R