Regular biography
Stepfanie Aguillon is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Los Angeles. Her research focuses on evolutionary biology and ornithology, particularly the speciation process, with an emphasis on understanding how and why new species form. Her work integrates genomic sequencing, field collections, museum specimens, and laboratory experiments, using hybrid zones as natural experiments to study reproductive isolation and speciation. She also investigates the genetic basis of coloration differences between closely related species, utilizing study systems such as northern flickers and live-bearing fish. Her research has been published in several prominent journals, including Ornithology, Current Biology, and Evolution.
Scholar-generated biography
Stepfanie M. Aguillón is an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, specializing in Evolution, Hybrid Zones, Speciation, and Ornithology. Her research explores the genomic and ecological mechanisms underlying speciation, focusing on hybrid zones and introgression in birds. By integrating genomic data with ecological observations, she investigates how genetic exchange and reproductive barriers shape evolutionary divergence. Her work includes studies on songbirds, flickers, and swordtail fish, examining factors such as dispersal, hybridization, and adaptive traits. Aguillón also examines the role of environmental factors in shaping phenotypic variation and evolutionary dynamics. Her research contributes to understanding the interplay between genetic diversity, ecological pressures, and speciation processes in natural populations.