I am Jimena Golcher-Benavides.

I am broadly interested in ecology and fish diversity. Within this topic, I am fascinated by the accumulation of fish phenotypic diversity in freshwater systems. I am also passionate about scientific illustration, data visualization and teaching programming for both biologists and practitioners. Both my outreach and research across different continents has aimed at fostering the well-being of both humans and nature.

I’m currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management at Iowa State University. I joined Dr. Michael J. Weber’s & USGS Iowa Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit leader Dr. Michael J. Moore’s labs examining the reproductive biology of bigheaded carps invading the Upper Mississippi River.

I recently concluded a 1-year Visiting Assistant Professor at Lees-McRae College. Over the summer, I returned to my PhD advisor’s Dr. Katie Wagner’s Lab as postdoctoral researcher at University of Wyoming to work on applied research projects featuring Lake Tanganyika. In 2021, I graduated from University of Wyoming’s Program in Ecology as part of Dr. Wagner’s Lab. For my PhD, I identified mechanisms leading to the accumulation of cichlid fish diversity in shallow environments in the littoral of Lake Tanganyika, East Africa, combining population genomic technologies, biodiversity surveys, behavioral assays, and natural history observations. Such an integrative approach provided a unique glimpse into both the origination and persistence processes underlying endemic diversity accumulation.

I love learning languages, contributing to iNaturalist, and anything outdoors or underwater.