Gislayne Mendoza

Laboratory Technician

Gislayne Mendoza Alcívar is from San Cristóbal Island. He studied Biotechnology Engineering at the San Francisco University in Quito-Ecuador. Her interest in the conservation of wild animals began when she was a child and it increased when she did her undergraduate thesis on marine rays, here, she focused on understanding the genetics and distribution of eagle rays (Aetobatus sp.) in San Cristóbal Island. In 2021, she joined the Galapagos Tortoise Movement Ecology Program, within the Charles Darwin Foundation. Since then, she has supported to the tortoise program as a Laboratory Technician, analyzing tortoise samples in search for viruses and other diseases.

In 2022, she moved from tortoises to birds, to continue using molecular techniques for the detection of viruses and bacteria, this time focusing on finches and other endangered land birds. Her aim is to create a baseline of Galapagos wildlife health to inform wildlife restoration projects and management decision that will reinforce the conservation of these unique species in the world. She focuses on growing as a researcher to protect the unique fauna of the place where she was born.

Researchgate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Gislayne-Mendoza-3