Rebecca Tarvin

Rebecca Tarvin is an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, jointly affiliated with the Department of Integrative Biology and the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology. Her research integrates natural history with molecular genomics and phylogenetics to explore the genetic mechanisms of novel traits, phenotypic diversification, and biodiversity constraints.

• Research Focus: Evolution of chemical defenses in poison frogs, flies, and snakes; toxin resistance mechanisms; adaptive traits; ecological speciation.
• Methodology: Combines fieldwork (South America, Pacific Northwest), lab experiments, bioinformatics, and phylogenetics.
• Lab Philosophy: Emphasizes work-life balance, artistic expression, diversity in science, anti-racism commitment, and structural barrier advocacy.

Her lab recruits graduate students and postdocs, with a focus on experimental evolution models like toxin-sequestering fruit flies and neurophysiological assays. Collaborations span ecology, genomics, and conservation biology.