Carlos Machado

Carlos Machado is a Professor at the University of Maryland, Department of Biology. He is affiliated with the Graduate Programs in BISI-Computational Biology, Bioinformatics & Genomics (CBBG) and BISI-Behavior, Ecology, Evolution & Systematics (BEES). His research focuses on evolutionary genomics, species divergence mechanisms, and coevolutionary dynamics in systems such as Drosophila and fig-pollinator wasps. Machado’s lab integrates genomic tools, including CRISPR, to study hybridization, introgression, and genetic diversity. He also explores the genomic basis of adaptation in human parasites like Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas disease agent).

Education: Ph.D. in Evolutionary Genetics from the University of California, Irvine (1998).

Research interests include genomic mechanisms of speciation, plant-insect mutualisms, and the role of inversions in Drosophila divergence. His lab investigates lncRNAs, small ORFs, and functional genomic elements in evolutionary processes. Recent projects examine genomic evidence of hybridization in fig-wasp systems and the molecular mechanisms of mutualistic/antagonistic interactions.

He serves as Associate Dean for Research in the College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences (CMNS). His work bridges evolutionary biology, genomics, and ecology, with a focus on understanding biodiversity generation mechanisms.