Caltech
Tejada Lab

From mountains to rainforests, oceans to deserts, animals to rocks, the lab's mission is to unravel the intricate patterns and processes behind life on our planet. We explore biodiversity through a geobiology and geochemistry lens.

Given that most life forms that ever existed are now extinct, we must study the fossil record to understand modern life and elucidate deep-time evolutionary questions. A basic understanding of the mechanisms and physiological patterns underlying extant diversity is also lacking for many organisms, which means that experimental analyses on extant taxa are needed. My lab addresses these problems by piecing together information from a large array of disciplines, including, but not limited to, paleontology, geology, organismal biology, phylogenetics, and stable isotope geochemistry.

We aim to shed light on overarching ecological and evolutionary phenomena from an ecosystem- and organismal-level. Two major lines of research in the lab include: (1) understanding the geological, climatic, and biotic processes that changed and shaped the ecological structure of animal and plant communities in the Amazon, (2) understanding the role of physiological processes underlying the isotopic variation that we observe across organisms.

My lab thrives on multidisciplinarity, constantly evolving and rapidly taking new research directions. I therefore welcome talented individuals from diverse backgrounds who are interested in research opportunities or wish to initiate collaborations, while we work toward understanding the patterns and mechanisms that govern modern and past biodiversity. This knowledge is crucial for predicting how ecosystems will respond to future climate and landscape changes. Caltech provides an exceptional environment for pursuing complex questions, allowing your imagination to run wild and encouraging innovative thinking!

Common traits in our group? Curiosity, passion, and daring exploration.