Tania is a Microbiologist and Mycologist, fascinated with all things micro and fungi. She earned her M.S. in Biology from California State University, Northridge (2016) and a B.S. in Microbiology from California State University, Northridge (2013). Her main goal was to integrate microbiology, mycology and bioinformatics. Her research focused on studying Micro-Colonial Fungi (MCFs) isolated from Biological Soil Crusts (BSCs), the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients and toxic tar pits. She conducted laboratory research in the areas of single nucleotide polymorphisms, genome sequencing and metagenomics. This involved data collection, DNA isolation, analysis and interpretation of results, including next generation sequencing data and bioinformatics analysis. Outside of science, Tania enjoys anything crafty, especially foraging for mushrooms and using them to find natural dyes. She loves taking craft materials and creating something beautiful.
Tania completed her PhD in Microbiology in December 2022 and did a postdoc with Daniel Matute at UNC-CH and is currently working as a Microbiologist for consulting for Clark Seif Clark, Inc.