Jessica Rivera, Ph.D.

Jessica grew up in Puerto Rico and has a B.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Puerto Rico. She started research as an undergrad sophomore when she joined Dr. Gary Toranzos’ lab and led antibiotic-resistance transferal studies in environmental microbes and lysogenic bacteriophages. She quickly fell in love with research, and later continued on to her Ph.D. where she collaborated with archaeologists to conduct the first study of human gut microbiomes and viromes in pre-Columbian Caribbean cultures. Jessica also completed a postdoc at the Palaeoecology Laboratory at Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research in New Zealand, led by Dr. Janet Wilmshurst. During her postdoc, Jessica analyzed ancient DNA from rat palaeofaeces and determined the spatiotemporal impacts of the kiore (Rattus exulans) and European rats (R. Rattus and R. norvegicus) in New Zealand, spanning from their first introduction to the archipelago ~800 years ago, to present day populations.

Jessy’s favorite extracurricular activities usually involve hiking, yoga, camping, swimming, scuba diving, spending time with friends and family, or some combination of these.