Dr. Viktoria Esther Bogantes Aguilar

The biological classification of organisms provides a reference system to study the ecology, distribution, and evolution of any given organism. Crucially, conservation biology and the detection of invasive species depend on the accurate identification and classification of organisms. With the advances in sequencing technologies, the identification of species using molecular data (i.e., DNA barcode approach) has become an accessible tool, facilitating the identification of organisms to non-experts. However, organisms need to be accurately identified first so that reference databases used for the identification of organisms are reliable. My main research interests are based on studying the diversity, systematics, and phylogenetics of marine invertebrates using integrative approaches that include morphological, molecular, and bioinformatic tools. For my research, I have used a variety of methods including Sanger sequencing, transcriptomics, whole genome sequencing, whole mitochondrial genomes, environmental DNA (eDNA), light microscopy, and confocal laser scanning microscopy.