Viridiana

Avila-Magana

Viridiana Avila-Magana specializes in the molecular crosstalk of marine symbioses. As a postdoctoral scholar in the Ruby-McFall-Ngai labs since 2023, she integrates genomics, biochemistry, and microscopy to decode how bacterial sRNA and epigenetic mechanisms govern host-microbe interactions. She earned her Ph.D. from Penn State, where her research uncovered how metabolic shifts and gene-expression selection drive thermal tolerance and adaptation in cnidarian holobionts.