Rocío Melissa Rivera

Rocío Melissa Rivera is a Professor of Reproductive Physiology and Epigenetics in the Division of Animal Sciences at the University of Missouri. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Florida and completed postdoctoral training at the University of Pennsylvania.

Her research investigates epigenetic disruptions in gametes and embryos caused by assisted reproductive technologies (ART). Key projects characterize Large Offspring Syndrome in ruminants and Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome in humans—both loss-of-imprinting overgrowth conditions linked to ART. She explores how superovulation and maternal aging alter oocyte DNA methylation patterns and gene expression.

Dr. Rivera employs bovine and murine models to identify molecular triggers of epigenetic syndromes, using transcriptomic and chromatin analysis. Current work examines dietary interventions to mitigate ART-associated epigenetic errors. She mentors doctoral students in projects ranging from IGF2R regulation in fetal overgrowth to retroelement control in oocytes.

As a Fulbright Senior Scholar at Spain's University of Murcia, she contributed to reproductive biology education. Her laboratory combines developmental biology, epigenetics, and molecular analysis to improve ART safety.