Kristen Martinet

Kristen Martinet is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Data Diversity Lab at the University of Arizona, developing computational tools to analyze biodiversity patterns with emphasis on island biogeography and evolutionary dynamics.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD in Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, University of Idaho

Dr. Martinet specializes in adaptive radiations within island systems, particularly studying Anolis lizards and Naesiotus snails. She created the SSARP R package for species-area relationship analysis and extends this work to speciation-area relationships. Her research integrates computational biology with evolutionary video games like Project Hastur and Evolvy Bugs to model natural selection, mate choice, and evolutionary predictability. She also contributes to phylogenetic tools through the Arbor Workflows project.

Her publication trends reveal strong interdisciplinary connections between computational ecology, island biogeography, and evolutionary modeling, with recent work emphasizing how non-native species alter biodiversity patterns and how video games serve as novel platforms for evolutionary experimentation.

Dr. Martinet actively collaborates with the Polymorphic Games Studio and Arbor Workflows team, developing web-based phylogenetic tools and evolutionary game mechanics. She is a member of SACNAS, the Society of Systematic Biologists, the American Society of Naturalists, and the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles.