Jimena Golcher- Benavides

My journey in biology started early in life growing up in Costa Rica, surrounded by tropical jungle. I became deeply interested in understanding ecosystems and the forest, which led me to enroll in an undergraduate program in Costa Rica where I focused on tropical freshwater fishes. These species are not well studied or documented in tropical regions and are heavily threatened by water exploitation and degradation. In 2012, I moved to Germany to pursue a master's degree at the University of Constance, conducting field research on tropical freshwater fish found in crater lakes in Nicaragua. These are very vulnerable systems in the tropics that host incredible fish species that have colonized these environments and accumulated variation that is fascinating from a biological perspective. The systems are highly dynamic, being in volcano craters that in some cases show geothermal activity. I presented this research at a conference where I met my PhD advisor, who was starting her research program in East Africa. I joined as a doctoral student at the University of Wyoming, where my research involved documenting changes in fish communities associated with rocky reefs in Lake Tanganyika, the longest and oldest tropical lake in the world. Between 2016 and 2019, I led four international research expeditions to this massive lake to document the incredible aquatic biodiversity in this very remote and understudied area. I also collaborated with The Nature Conservancy to study which areas of the shoreline are most impacted by intense fishing, helping communities rely on fisheries resources in a sustainable way. After my doctoral work, I gained hands-on teaching experience at a small college in the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina during the pandemic, where I conducted environmental research with students documenting species of conservation concern using genetic tools and environmental DNA techniques. I then worked as a postdoctoral research scientist at Iowa State in Ames, Iowa, studying the spread of invasive carp in the Mississippi River using laboratory techniques to understand the origin of different carp individuals. In fall 2024, I started my current position at Hope College, an undergraduate liberal arts institution with an incredible reputation for providing students with meaningful research opportunities. I combine my passions for research with training the next generation of scientists, helping students connect with the amazing natural environments around them and contributing valuable information to protect vulnerable freshwater organisms.