Friday 22 May 2026 1:00pm to 2:00pm
Sainsbury Laboratory Auditorium
47 Bateman Street, Cambridge CB2 1LRJoin us in person for this talk from Andres Alfonso-Rojas on his research studying how snakes in the tropical Americas evolved and became so diverse, with a focus on colubroid snakes, and combining fossil evidence, DNA data, and information about snake ecology and life histories.
About
Complex biogeographical patterns revealed by new species of fossil snakes from the Oligo-Miocene of South America
Speaker: Andres Alfonso-Rojas (Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge
Venue: Sainsbury Laboratory auditorium, 47 Bateman Street, Cambridge CB2 1LR | Find us
Please note: This talk will take place in person only.
About the speaker
Andres Alfonso-Rojas is a PhD student and Gates Cambridge Scholar in the Vertebrate Paleontology Group at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Zoology.
Andres' research explores the evolutionary history of snakes in the Neotropics, drawing on fossil discoveries and modern biological data to understand how today’s extraordinary diversity emerged.
Originally from Colombia, Andres completed a degree in Biology at Universidad de los Andes and later earned a Master’s degree in Natural Sciences at Universidad del Rosario. Before moving to Cambridge, Andres worked as a research assistant on field and museum projects across fossil sites spanning millions of years of Earth’s history.
Andres is also an active contributor to the scientific community, serving as a reviewer for several international academic journals.
Branching Out public talk series
We are 100% dedicated to plants at the Sainsbury Laboratory, but we also enjoy the chance to “branch out” and explore the exciting research taking place across other scientific disciplines.
Branching Out is a free lunchtime talk series held once a month during term time. Rather than traditional scientific seminars aimed at specialists, these talks are designed to be engaging, accessible and thought-provoking for the wider Cambridge community.
The series was originally conceived by Emilio Aldorino and is now organised by a committee of researchers at the Sainsbury Laboratory: Alexandra Shelest, Dario D'Asora, Darius Kosmützky, Jivin Anish and Joshua Yarrow.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
If you are interested in attending a future talk, giving a talk, or contacting the organisers, please get in touch.