#  Nicole Melendez 

Post-baccalaureate

 

 

 



   ![Nicole Melendez](/sites/g/files/omnuum6356/files/styles/hwp_4_5__480x600/public/edwards/files/image.jpg?itok=nqmtPZ_b) 

 



 

 location\_on 26 Oxford Street Cambridge MA 02138 

 email [nicole\_melendez@g.harvard.edu](mailto:nicole_melendez@g.harvard.edu) 

 



 

Nicole M. Meléndez is a current post-baccalaureate research student in the Edwards Lab, with a deep passion for avian ethology. Her research focuses on investigating genetic polymorphisms in albatross populations, specifically studying Toll-like receptor (TLR) genes and their roles in immune function and pathogen recognition.

Nicole graduated with a B.S. in Biology from the University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Campus, in 2023, where she worked on the gene annotation of the Puerto Rican Parrot (*Amazona vittata*) and explored insulin signaling pathways in *Drosophila takahashii*. During her summers, Nicole broadened her research experience by studying motoneuron structure in woodpeckers at Brown University and conducting research on blue light signaling photoreceptors in *Arabidopsis thaliana* at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. In her spare time, she enjoys to go hiking, drawing, and exploring nature.