Spotlight: Flavia Barbosa

Flavia Barbosa
PhD Candidate, Biological Sciences

The mating process may seem straight forward, but Flavia Barbosa is able to prove otherwise. Flavia has been researching postcopulatory mate choice while at MU. “A female may bias the fertilization of her eggs so that the male she preferred fathers most of her offspring,” Flavia explains. She was able to attend the Animal Behavior Society meeting in Brazil this past summer to present her research thanks to receiving the John D. Bies International Travel Award.

“It was a good opportunity to show my work. It was my first time to give a professional talk, so it was nerve-racking, but great to meet other people and to network,” Flavia says. “None of my research would have been possible without these awards.”

Flavia learned about postcopulatory mate choice as an undergrad and found it fascinating. “It is something that is happening now, but you just can’t see it. It is new and exciting,” Flavia says. She believes it is an understudied field with potentially important implications to sexual selection and evolution.

Her research does not constrict her to the lab all day. During feud season, Flavia is in Panama. “I am in Panama for three months every year for my research,” Flavia says. “I am out in the rainforest conducting research.” The rest of her year is spent at MU where she is able to analyze her data and work in the molecular lab.

Her fascination with animal’s behavior and love for science are what attracted Flavia to her field of research. “I probably owe my love of animal behavior to several outstanding teachers, as well as to having had the opportunity of getting involved with research as a high school student,” Flavia says.

The resources and advisors at MU attracted Flavia to the institution. “The main reason I came to MU was to work with my advisors,” Flavia says. “Not only is their line of work a great fit for my interests, but they also do a wonderful job of creating a good work environment and fostering independent research. I was also impressed by the great resources of the department of Biological Sciences and the beautiful town of Columbia.”

Flavia completed her B.S. in Biological Sciences at Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil. She plans to complete her Ph.D. from MU in May 2011.

(Story and photo by Samantha Abbott)