top of page

Bolívar Aponte Rolón, Ph.D.

Assistant Program Engagement Coordinator

Bolívar is an ecologist and evolutionary biologist focused on using metagenomics and whole-genome sequencing to explore the interaction endophytes in tropical trees and alpine yellow monkeyflowers. He combines field experiments and surveys with data science to answer how leaf functional traits in tropical trees and alpine yellow monkeyflowers influence the endophyte communities able to colonize them. He started his academic journey as a Political Science major at the University of Puerto Rico-Río Piedras, but his interests in ecology led him to pursue a Master's in Conservation Ecology at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, where he studied ants in coffee agroecosystems in Mexico. His collaborations with scientists in the Global South have underscored the crucial role of cross-cultural dialogue in enhancing diversity of people and knowledge in scientific pursuits. Throughout his academic journey he aims to teach ecology and R programming to others while increasing equity and diversity in said spaces.

Bolívar Aponte Rolón, Ph.D.
bottom of page