Hi everyone!
I’m Ximena Alva, I’m a new PhD student working with Lars Råberg on the evolution of the immune system in rodents.
I was born in Peru, where I did my Bachelor’s studying the changes in distribution and behavior of tropical birds and primates. Afterward, I did an Erasmus Mundus Master’s in Evolutionary Biology at Uppsala University and the University of Munich (LMU). In my last semester, I decided to do my thesis here in Lund, studying the population genetics of Mediterranean lizards with Nathalie Feiner.
Now, I am excited to be part of the Evolutionary ecology and infection biology division, where I’ll merge those two topics by looking at the evolution of immune genes in bank voles while also adding a functional angle to it.
In my spare time, I like playing board games and DnD, going to concerts, and hiking/birdwatching whenever the weather permits.
I’m looking forward to meeting you all. See you around!
