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Valentina Gómez-Bahamón
Email: valentinagb[@]vt.edu
I am an Assistant Professor at the Biological Sciences Department at Virginia Tech. I am also a research affiliate at The Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, and at SELVA: Research for conservation in the Neotropics, Colombia.  

Curriculum Vitae

I study how the evolution of behavioral strategies can drive population divergence and promote a cascade of correlated evolutionary processes that can enhance speciation. My research has focused primarily on switches among migratory and non-migratory behavior in birds. I am interested in understanding the drivers of these switches and the consequences to phenotypic evolution, speciation and the propensity of extinction under past and current environmental conditions. 
Postdoctoral Associate 
María Emilia Rebollo
Email: merebollo[@]vt.edu
I am currently studying the ecological implications of switching migratory strategies in birds. My research has focused on the breeding ecology and conservation of neotropical birds, including migratory and non-migratory species. I am interested in natural history, breeding biology, ecology, migration, and conservation of birds. I am also committed to improving research practices to make ornithology more inclusive, equitable, and just.
Graduate students 
Martín Pérez
I am interested in understanding the underlying mechanisms promoting speciation and population differentiation. Currently, I am studying the impact and influence of contact and hybrid zones on the genetic and morphological diversity in widespread passerine species distributed across the Nearctic and the Neotropics. I’m also interested in plumages, molt strategies, population genomics, field ornithology, and the life history of Neotropical birds.
Co-advised with Juan Ignacio Areta
Visiting researcher
Gabriel Guillermo Bermudez
I am passionate about bionics, bioinspiration and biomimetics due to how nature improves efficiency and processes in diverse and wise ways. I think that humans can learn a lot more and solve complex problems by paying attention to nature. I work with 3D realistic models from biological collections, computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and wind tunnel test. Currently, I am analyzing modifications of primary feathers on wings of birds of the genus Tyrannus, to identify how they impact aerodynamic efficiency. 
Research Affiliates 
Cándida Caicedo
Interested in studying the interaction between birds and plants, especially feeding interactions, but also other aspects of the biology of these two groups. Currently, she is working on a project to understand the importance of different characteristics of vegetation in natural savannas for bird behavior. 
Co-advised with Sergio Estrada-Villegas
 
Maira Holguín-Ruiz
Passionate about ornithology, she specializes in bird observation. During her undergraduate studies, she focused on the physiological and behavioral aspects of migration at stopover sites in northern Colombia. For the past four years, she has been part of the SELVA team, tracking migratory birds through observations, banding, and telemetry in the Llanos foothills and the Caribbean coast. Currently, she is working on a project with Cándida to understand why birds select specific sites within natural savannas.
Co-advised with Sergio Estrada-Villegas
Former undergraduate researchers 
David Ricardo Caro 
Undergraduate thesis: Kinematics of an aerial display in the Fork-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus savana savana) during breeding season
Pontificia Universidad Javeriana
Co-Advised with Dr. Oscar Laverde 

Bryam Mateus 
Undergraduate thesis: Divergence of beak morphology, foraging behavior and diet among migratory and year-round resident Fork-tailed Flycatchers (Tyrannus savana) 
Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
Co-Advised with Dr. Carlos Daniel Cadena 
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