Anyi Mazo-Vargas

Anyi Mazo-Vargas is originally from Cali, Colombia, where she graduated from the Biology program at Universidad del Valle. She then pursued a master’s degree at the University of Puerto Rico in Mayaguez, focusing on weevil beetles and phylogenetics. After moving to the United States, Anyi worked as a laboratory manager at Duke University in Dr. Buchler’s lab, utilizing luciferases to study the cell cycle of Saccharomyces yeast. These experiences inspired her to pursue a PhD in the Entomology Department at Cornell University, where she combined her knowledge in insects, evolution, and genetics to study butterfly color patterning. At Cornell, she investigated genes involved in wing element patterning and their regulation. She later joined George Washington University as a postdoctoral researcher, working on transgenesis projects in both moths and butterflies.

The AMV Laboratory at Duke employs genetics, functional genomics, and developmental biology approaches to untangle the genetic basis of morphological adaptive traits. Our research aims to dissect the underlying developmental processes and place our findings within a micro- and macro-evolutionary framework. We seek to identify genomic and developmental properties, explaining how adaptive traits such as wing patterns and wing shapes involved in mimicry, camouflage, thermoregulation, and other defense mechanisms develop and evolve.