Fernando Diaz-Gonzalez

Dr. Fernando Diaz-Gonzalez is an Assistant Professor of Biology at the Paul Engler College of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, West Texas A&M University (WTAMU). Since joining in Fall 2023, he has taught courses in Genetics, Evolution, Molecular Ecology, and Introduction to Biology for the Biology and Wildlife programs. He actively mentors undergraduate and graduate students, integrating them into his research projects, and serves as an advisor for biology majors while participating in departmental/university committees and scientific outreach initiatives.

• Education: B.Sc. and Ph.D. in Genetics from Universidad del Valle (Colombia, 2014)
• Postdoctoral Experience: University of Melbourne (Australia), Universidade Federal de São Carlos (Brazil), University of Arizona

Dr. Diaz’s research focuses on the intersection of genomics and evolution, particularly how species adapt to environmental change. His work explores genetic architecture, evolutionary history, reproductive isolation, and hybridization in desert-adapted Drosophila, ants, and agriculturally significant insects using transcriptomic and epigenomic approaches to analyze heat-stress responses.