Functional and Evolutionary Genomics of Regulatory RNA

Selene Fernandez-Valverde

Senior Lecturer/Group Leader

I’m a bioinformatician and genomic data scientist studying the evolution of gene regulatory mechanisms underlying the phenotypic diversity and cell differentiation in multicellular eukaryotes. I’m particularly interested in the regulatory roles of non-coding RNAs in these processes.

I have a BSc in Genomic Sciences from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (LCG-UNAM) and a PhD in Bioinformatics from the Institute for Molecular Biosciences (IMB) at the University of Queensland, Australia. I did my postdoc at the School of Biological Sciences, also at UQ.

In addition to my academic roles, I actively participate in initiatives that link scientists and the general public (such as Mas Ciencia por Mexico, Clubes de Ciencia Mexico), programs to introduce researchers to computing (Software/Data Carpentry, Red Mexicana de Bioinformatica) as well as mentoring programs (Ekpapalek and Mujeres en STEM: Futuras Líderes, from the US-Mexico Foundation).

I’ve been honoured with one of five recipients of the L’Oreal-UNESCO research fellowship For Women in Science - Mexico chapter - in 2016 and one of 15 worldwide L’Oreal-UNESCO For Women In Science International Rising Talents fellowship in 2018. I was also named one of 100 most powerful women in Mexico by Forbes Mexico magazine in 2018. I’m an ARC Future Fellow since January 2025.

When not behind a computer, you can find me hiking, scuba diving or spending time with my F1.

Gabriela Santos Rodriguez

Postdoctoral Researcher, UNSW

She holds a BSc in Biology from the Faculty of Science, UNAM, Mexico, and an MSc in Integrative Biology from Cinvestav, Mexico. She recently submitted her PhD thesis from the University of New South Wales. She is interested in Evolution and RNA Biology; her research expands from microRNA evolution in Metazoa and circular RNAs in Primates to mRNA isoform evolution in Vertebrates. She has recently joined the Regulatory RNA lab to study the evolution of lncRNAs in Brassicaceae. In her free time, she enjoys training Muay Thai and BJJ and spending time with her cat.

Xingyu Yan

PhD Candidate, UNSW

Xingyu holds a BSc in Plant Protection from the Faculty of Plant Health & Medicine, QAU, China, and an MSc in Plant Sciences from the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Bonn, Germany. She later spent a year as a research assistant in the School of Life Sciences, CUHK, Hong Kong SAR. Her main interest is Plant RNA Biology, she joined the Regulatory RNA lab in 2024 to dive deep into the world of RNA-protein interactions in plants. While she’s currently making her mark in the wet lab, she’s also an enthusiastic beginner in bioinformatics, eager to expand her skills!

Putri Adiela Agson Gani

PhD Candidate, UNSW

She holds a Bachelor of Engineering and a master’s degree in biotechnology from Institut Teknologi Bandung, Indonesia, where she focused on post-harvest handling and technology of crops. Before commencing her PhD at UNSW, she worked as a business consultant, with a growing interest in integrating plant science and technology into industry applications. Her current research focuses on analysing RNA structure and its interaction with proteins, particularly in the context of gene regulation in plants. She is also expanding her budding skills in bioinformatics. Outside of research, she enjoys hiking and crocheting.

Bryan (Weijian) Chen

Honours Student, UNSW

Bryan is an honours student at UNSW, completing his undergraduate degree in BAdvSc with a major in Molecular and Cellular Biology. His main interest is in cancer research with his honours project focusing on mRNA vaccines for breast cancer. He aims to evaluate the immune response in mouse breast cancer tumour cells treated with mRNA nanoparticles. He joined the Regulatory RNA lab to further develop his practical and bioinformatics skills while gaining valuable research experience.

Byron Escudero

Honours Student, UNSW

Byron is a genetics honours student currently studying RNA-RBP relationships in plants. More specifically, he is attempting to uncover the binding partners of a key RBP in Arabidopsis thaliana, with the hopes of expanding this research to more plants. His goal is to gain a better understanding of the properties that allow plants to survive environmental stress with potential agricultural biotechnology applications, while gaining critical laboratory and research skills along the way. In his spare time, Byron is a big Football fan and enjoys playing Pokémon games.

Winston Tan

Honours Student, UNSW

Winston is a biotechnology honours student from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia currently working on developing RNA control strategies to protect native wildlife. His overall goal is to learn laboratory and technical skills which will help him leave a positive lasting impact on people’s livelihood and quality of life. Outside of the lab, he enjoys learning about history and geography and plays strategy games.

Billi Ilkovski

RA/Laboratory Manager (Part-time)

Billi completed a Bachelor of Biotechnology degree (1st Class Honours) at The University of Wollongong in 1997. She worked as a Research Assistant at the Royal North Shore Hospital and at The Children’s Hospital at Westmead. She completed her PhD in 2004 at The University of Sydney and continued as a Post-doc for the next decade working on genetic neuromuscular disorders. In 2019, Billi joined UNSW as a lab manager and has continued in this role with the Regulatory RNA lab in February 2025.

Sayira Mueses Jimenez

Doctoral Student, UNIBE, Dominican Republic (as PhD External Advisor)

Molecular biologist, university lecturer, and doctoral student with experience in molecular diagnostics, epidemiology, biotechnology, and applied health research. Currently Head of the Molecular Biology Department at Amadita Laboratorio Clínico and Adjunct Professor at Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE), teaching epidemiology, biostatistics, and research methodology. Her work focuses on infectious diseases, molecular diagnostic techniques, laboratory quality processes, and accessible diagnostic strategies for low-resource settings. She holds a Master’s degree in Advanced Biotechnology from Universidade da Coruña and is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in Health and Behavioral Sciences Research at UNIBE. Her research interests include molecular diagnostics for infectious and arboviral diseases, applied molecular biology, and rapid diagnostic tools for tropical regions, particularly in the Caribbean

Alumni

Sergio Nigenda-Morales, Postdoctoral Researcher, Cinvestav - now Assistant Professor, California State University San Marcos, USA

Victor Flores Lopez, Postdoctoral Researcher, Cinvestav - now Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Cambridge, UK

Jose Cetz-Chel, Postdoctoral Researcher, Cinvestav - now Postdoctoral Researcher, Universidad de Guadalajara, Mexico

Francisco Javier Perez de los Santos - now Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, USA

Irving García Lopez - PhD & MSc Plant Biotechnology, Cinvestav - now Postdoctoral Researcher, Cinvestav, Mexico

Edmundo Dominguez Rosas - PhD Science Program, CIAD

Gabriel Martinez Medina - MSc Plant Biotechnology, Cinvestav - now PhD student, Institut Botanic Barcelona, Spain

Adrián Díaz Chávez - MSc Integrative Biology, Cinvestav

Evelia Coss Navarrete - PhD Plant Biotechnology, Cinvestav - now Postdoctoral Research, LIIGH, UNAM, Mexico

Jaime Pérez Patiño - BSc & MSc Plant Biotechnology, Cinvestav

Pablo Rosiles Loeza - MSc Plant Biotechnology, Cinvestav - now AI & Data Analytics Specialist, DataCloud Technologies and Consulting, Mexico

Judith Ballesteros Villascan - MSc Integrative Biology, Cinvestav - now PhD Student, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany

América Ramírez Colmenero - MSc Integrative Biology, Cinvestav - now PhD Student, Max Perutz Labs, Vienna

Stephanie Mata Bonilla - MSc Plant Biotechnology, Cinvestav

José Antonio Corona Gómez - Postdoctoral Researcher & PhD Plant Biotechnology, Cinvestav - now Postdoctoral Researcher, Cinvestav, Mexico

Jordan Pérez Medina - MSc Plant Biotechnology, Cinvestav

Emiliano Sotelo Fonseca - BSc & MSc Plant Biotechnology, Cinvestav - now PhD Student, Center for Genomic Regulation, Spain

Alexander Ramos Díaz - MSc Integrative Biology, Cinvestav

Francisco Falcón Chávez - MSc Integrative Biology, Cinvestav - now PhD Student, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna

Federico Gaiti - PhD, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland - now Assistant Professor, Princess Margaret Cancer Research Centre, Canada

Andrew Calcino - PhD, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland - now Lecturer, James Cook University, Australia

Rafael Rincon Ramirez, Internship, Cinvestav - Now Senior AI Engineer, EAS Consulting MX, Mexico

Lorena Gomez Godinez, Internship, Cinvestav - now Research Group Leader at INIFAP, Mexico

Christopher Klapproth, Internship, Cinvestav

Leyda Cortez Maldonado, Internship, Cinvestav

Jose Luis Garcia Corona, Internship, Cinvestav

Ramon Valdez Melchor, Internship, Cinvestav

Dharam Arora, Undergrad Internship, Computer Science, UNSW

Rotation students not listed