User:Shoelace453

Leticia Avilés

Leticia Avilés is an Evolutionary Biologist who specializes in Arachnids. She focuses on rare social spider species that have given her insight to human behaviors. With these rare species she is researching cooperative techniques and communication among the species.

Career:
Leticia is most famous for her discovery of the Theridion nigroannulatum Spider. Found in the jungles of Ecuador these spiders exhibit cooperative behaviors that differentiate them from other spiders. Currently her research looks at using a multilevel selection perspective on the evolution of sociality, evolution of sex ratios in subdivided populations, and evolution of life history traits and local population dynamics in metapopulations. Professor, Dept. of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia
Education:
Dr. Avilés is a native of Ecuador Undergraduate: Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Ecuador graduate school/ Ph.D: Harvard University Postdoctoral Fellow, Research Training Group in the Analysis of Biological Diversification, University of Arizona, 1992-1994; PhD, Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University,1992; Licentiate in Biological Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador.

Quoted:
“There is always something new to discover and something new to explain. It never gets boring.”

Awards

2001 Fellow Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin for Research
1992 Young Investigator Award, American Society of Naturalists for Research

References:

"Department of Zoology." Leticia Avilés. University of British Columbia, 20 May 2014. Web. 19 Oct. 2014.

<http://www.zoology.ubc.ca/person/laviles>.
"People." Avils Laboratory. UBC Biodiversity Research Center, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2014. <http://blogs.ubc.ca/avileslab/people/>.
"USA Science & Engineering Festival – Role Models in Science & Engineering Achievement." Leticia Avilés. USA Science and Engineering Festival, 2012. Web. 18 Oct. 2014. <http://www.usasciencefestival.org/schoolprograms/2014-role-models-in-science-engineering/1065-leticia-aviles.html>.