Ana Colon

Ana is a first-year PhD student whose research focuses on the chemical ecology of marine natural products. Her work is focused on understanding the underlying reason for the production of polyketides in select marine organisms. Prior to beginning her graduate studies she did undergraduate research in Dr. Parkinson’s lab investigating how microbial communities can be used to assess the health of coral reefs. She also worked in Dr. Slavov’s lab simulating photoswitchable small molecules for drug discovery. In her current role she aims to combine these skills in biology and computational chemistry to marine natural products. Outside of the laboratory, Ana enjoys drumming, snorkeling, going on side quests, and being a mother to Pepe (iykyk).