Education

PhD Biology—Evolution, Ecology, Genetics, and Genomics (2021 - present)
University of Rochester, Rochester, NY
Supervisor: Dr. Nancy Chen

BS Molecular Environmental Biology (2016 - 2020)
University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley CA
Supervisor: Dr. Noah Whiteman

Research Experience

PhD Candidate. Supervisor: Dr. Nancy Chen. University of Rochester, NY
(Nov 2021-present) Investigating the genetic architecture and fitness consequences of inbreeding depression in the Florida Scrub-Jay by using long-term pedigree and genetic data

Rotating PhD Student. Supervisor: Dr. Al Uy. University of Rochester, NY
(Feb 2022-May 2022) Modeled the demographic history of two bird species endemic to the Solomon Islands in order to examine the dynamics of reproductive isolation and secondary contact

Rotating PhD Student. Supervisor: Dr. Amanda Larracuente. University of Rochester, NY
(Aug 2021-Nov 2021) Compared de novo genome assemblers to streamline a heterochromatin-enriched pipeline for repeat-rich region assembly of Drosophila melanogaster genomes

Undergraduate Researcher. Supervisor: Dr. Noah Whiteman. University of California, Berkeley, CA
(2018-2020) Explored the phenotypic consequences of the Anna’s Hummingbird’s range expansion into urban environments by measuring museum specimens and conducting statistical analyses

Research & Preparation. Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. University of California, Berkeley
(2017-2018) Compared thermal reflectance in bird feathers across island and mainland Californian populations. Responsible for dissecting and preparing specimens for the collections through the MVZ prep lab

Honors and Awards

$2,500. Student Research Award
American Ornithological Society (2024)

Presidential Membership Award
Genetics Society of America (2023)

$2,500. R. C. Lewontin Early Award
Society for the Study of Evolution (2023)

$147,000. Graduate Research Fellowship
National Science Foundation (2023-2028)

$6,000. Ernst Caspari Fellowship in Evolutionary, Developmental and Molecular Genetics
University of Rochester (2021 – 2024)

$500. Graduate Student Travel Award
University of Rochester (2022)

Student Membership Award
American Ornithological Society (2022)

Presentations

The genetic architecture of inbreeding depression in a wild population of Florida Scrub-Jays. (oral)
(2023) F.G. Romero.
Graduate Research Excellence Grants Seminar Series. Society for the Study of Evolution

Comparative genomic analyses reveal variation in avian microchromosomes. (poster)
(2023) F.G. Romero, E. Hovmand Warner, F.E.G. Beaudry, T.N. Nguyen, E.J. Cossgrove, A.G. Clark, R. Bowman, J.W. Fitzpatrick, N. Chen.
Great Lakes Annual Meeting of Evolutionary Genomics (GLAM-Evogen). Cornell University, NY

Comparative genomic analyses reveal variation in avian microchromosomes. (poster)
(2023) F.G. Romero, E. Hovmand Warner, F.E.G. Beaudry, T.N. Nguyen, E.J. Cossgrove, A.G. Clark, R. Bowman, J.W. Fitzpatrick, N. Chen.
American Ornithological Society & Society of Canadian Ornithologists Joint Conference. London, Ontario, CA

Food supplementation and lifetime reproductive success in a wild population of squirrels. (oral)
(2022) F.G. Romero, S. Boutin, D.W. Coltman, B. Dantzer, J.E. Lane, A.G. McAdam, N. Chen.
AS&E Graduate Research Day. University of Rochester, NY

Food supplementation and lifetime reproductive success in a wild population of squirrels. (oral)
(2022) F.G. Romero, S. Boutin, D.W. Coltman, B. Dantzer, J.E. Lane, A.G. McAdam, N. Chen.
Great Lakes Annual Meeting of Evolutionary Genomics (GLAM-Evogen). Buffalo, NY

Food supplementation and lifetime reproductive success in a wild population of squirrels. (oral)
(2022) F.G. Romero, S. Boutin, D.W. Coltman, B. Dantzer, J.E. Lane, A.G. McAdam, N. Chen.
Evolution 2022 Conference. Cleveland, OH

Modeling the demographic history of two Solomon Island endemics. (oral)
(2022) F.G. Romero.
Biology Department PhD Student Research Symposium. University of Rochester, NY

Food supplementation and lifetime reproductive success in a wild population of squirrels. (oral)
(2022) F.G. Romero, S. Boutin, D.W. Coltman, B. Dantzer, J.E. Lane, A.G. McAdam, N. Chen.
Biology Department PhD Student Research Symposium. University of Rochester, NY

Comparison of thermoregulatory-associated genomic regions across six geographically unique populations of D. melanogaster. (poster)
(2021) F.G. Romero., S. Hamazaki, T. Zhou, K. Yehle, and N. Samanta.
Applied Genomics Poster Symposium. University of Rochester, NY

Comparison of de novo genome assembly methods using D. melanogaster. (oral)
(2021) F.G. Romero.
Biology Department PhD Student Research Symposium. University of Rochester, NY

Media Coverage

Filipinas in STEM: Faye Romero
(2023) Interview by Swastika Issar. Through Science Corps Education & Research Fellowship and Central Visayan Institute Foundation, Bohol, Philippines.

Teaching and Leadership

Teaching Assistant. "Applied Population Biology", University of Rochester, NY. Instructor: Dr. Nancy Chen
(2022) Assisted with laboratory exercises in landscape ecology and population genetics, supervised independent research projects

Teaching Assistant. "Computational Biology", University of Rochester, NY. Instructor: Dr. Justin Fay
(2022) Led laboratory sections on computational analysis of genomes, gave lectures on the genetics of pedigrees, graded labs and exams

Tutor. Wyzant Tutoring Company. Pleasanton, CA.
(2020-2021) Tutored high school and college students in biology and programming. Composed and executed high-quality individualized lessons, both for virtual and in-person instruction.

Service

Member. Multimedia Subcomittee, Early Career Leadership Program. Genetics Society of America
(2024-present) Create multimedia content (podcast, infographics, etc.) to communicate and disseminate current genetics research to a broad scientific audience

Founder & Graduate Student Representative. Office of Student Relations, Department of Biology. University of Rochester, NY
(2023-present) Develop and execute resources, events, and lines of communication to increase undergraduate participation in biological research and department events

STEM Professional. Letters to a Pre-Scientist.
(2022-present) Exchange letters with middle and high school students from low-income schools in order to demystify STEM career pathways and inspire students to pursue a future in STEM

Field Assistant. Braddock Bay Bird Observatory. Rochester, NY
(2022-present) Assist with mist-netting, handling live birds, and bird banding. Educate visitors to the banding station on research goals and the trapping process

Co-instructor. Upward Bound. University of Rochester, NY
(2023-2024) Created and co-led a hands-on workshop introducing the genetics of evolution to low-income/first-generation high school students from Rochester City School District.

Founder & Member. Graduate Student Recruitment Committee. University of Rochester, NY
(2022-2023) Planned and executed events surrounding new graduate student recruitment, including interview week and orientation

Dance Instructor. The Breakaway Swing Dance. Oakland, CA
(2018-2020) Developed and implemented lessons for 50-person classes, mentored swing dancers of all ages and skill levels. Promoted and presented on the diverse history of jazz and swing dance in the United States

Professional Memberships

Genetics Society of America
American Genetic Association
American Society of Naturalists
Society for the Study of Evolution
American Ornithological Society

Skills

Programming languages, software
R, Python, Bash, cloud computing (AWS), Git, ImageJ, Adobe Photoshop/Illustrator, Microsoft Office Suite

Technical, laboratory
De novo genome assembly, comparative genomic analyses, DNA extraction and quantification, spectroradiometer, museum specimen preparation, database management