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Ashly N. Romero, PhD

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Email: ashlyromero@arizona.edu

I am currently a postdoc in the Basic Medical Sciences department at the University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix. I am part of the Clinical Anatomy instructional team and maintain an active research program. I use geometric morphometrics to study craniofacial fluctuating asymmetry (FA) in primates. By measuring FA, or the differences between the right and left side of the body, I can get an idea of how well an individual can handle disturbances during growth and development. I want to understand how genetic and environmental variation contribute to changes in FA, and therefore developmental instability. I can connect FA, genes, and environment to better understand the role developmental instability plays in the craniofacial variation we observe in primate populations.

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Essentially, this means that I measure how symmetric skulls are, look at the environment the individuals lived in, and incorporate how related they are to one another to try and understand what role genes and environment play in how stable an individual's growth and development is during life. This helps us understand how the world we live in and the genes we have contribute to what we look like.

About Me

I grew up among the pines in California, and I value balance and passion in my life, extending to both the professional and personal fronts. I love teaching and research, but I also enjoy spending days with people I love doing other activities I enjoy. My favorite part of being an anthropologist is getting to enjoy new experiences and customs when I travel to collect data, not to mention trying new delicious foods along the way!

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