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I obtained my
Licenciatura (B.S) in biology in 1998 at the Universidad de Los Andes in
Mérida, Venezuela. From that same year, Kirk Winemiller and Rodney
Honeycutt
 served
as my co-advisors during my Ph.D., which I obtained in 2004 at Texas A&M
University. During that period, I also worked closely with Melanie
Stiassny (American Museum of Natural History), and Donald Taphorn (Museo
de Ciencias Naturales de Guanare, Venezuela). In my dissertation, I
studied the phylogenetic relationships of the South American cichlid
subfamily Geophaginae, using both morphological and molecular characters.
 I
am particularly interested in studying the associations between
phylogenetic patterns and ecological traits as a key to understand the
mechanisms generating biodiversity through ecological specialization. The
importance of ecological specialization in the evolution of geophagines is
evident in their highly diverse reproductive strategies, and in the
association between form and function in relation to trophic biology and
habitat use. Ecomorphological specialization in geophagines implies
specific biomechanical solutions to a variety of habitats and feeding
modes, and may be fundamental in determining niche partitioning and
coexistence within ecological communities. My research program seeks to
develop a unified understanding of the patterns that characterize
geophagine diversification, and will use this knowledge to generate and
test hypotheses concerning the mechanisms driving adaptive diversification
in riverine fishes.
 Describing
the freshwater fish diversity of the Neotropics is a parallel objective,
interconnected with the evolutionary component of my research program.
South America harbors the
largest, relatively better documented, and, at present, best conserved
tropical
fish faunas in the world. Nevertheless, a large portion of South American
fish diversity still requires taxonomic and systematic research. A major
goal of my research program is to improve our taxonomic, systematic, and
ecological understanding of South American cichlids, to open new
opportunities for studying their evolutionary biology, and to provide
basic information that may help in their conservation.
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