Joana L. Rocha

Ola!

I am an evolutionary biologist at the department of Integrative Biology at UC Berkeley, working with Peter Sudmant. I received my PhD in Biodiversity, Genetics and Evolution having been advised by Raquel Godinho at the University of Porto, and Rasmus Nielsen at UC Berkeley.

My research addresses pressing fundamental questions in environmental change biology. In a nutshell: I study the genetic mechanisms behind how species adapt and evolve in response to changing environmental conditions, including changes in climate, habitat, local pathogens and resource availability. When I am not doing science, I enjoy being in close contact with nature and sharing all the amazing wonders our planet has to offer with the people I love.

news

Sep 24, 2024 Handling the heat: Desert collaborations unveil the genetic history of how foxes have adapted to a warming climate, Samvardhini Sridharan, Berkeley Science Review
Sep 4, 2024 Agriculture accelerated human genome evolution to capture energy from starchy foods, Robert Sanders, Science and Environment Research, UC Berkeley News
Jul 11, 2024 Talk at SMBE 2024!
May 10, 2023 Talk at BoG 2023!
Sep 20, 2022 These rare adaptations help animals survive in the desert, Jason P. Dinh, Discover Magazine

selected publications

2024

  1. Recurrent evolution and selection shape structural diversity at the amylase locus
    Davide Bolognini, and 9 more authors
    Nature, Sep 2024
    Publisher: Nature Publishing Group

2023

  1. fennec_cover.jpeg
    North African fox genomes show signatures of repeated introgression and adaptation to life in deserts
    Joana L. Rocha, and 10 more authors
    Nature Ecology & Evolution, Jun 2023

2022

  1. coverphoto_sable.png
    African climate and geomorphology drive evolution and ghost introgression in sable antelope
    Joana L. Rocha, and 7 more authors
    Molecular Ecology, Jun 2022

2021

  1. desert_scheme.jpeg
    Life in Deserts: The Genetic Basis of Mammalian Desert Adaptation
    Joana L. Rocha, and 3 more authors
    Trends in Ecology & Evolution, Apr 2021