Dr. Daniela Chávez

Dr. Daniela Chávez is a reproductive biologist and current Maryland PROMISE academy postdoctoral fellow at Towson University.  Dr. Chávez is completing mentored training and research while setting up her research lab at Towson University.  In this hybrid position, she will transition to a tenure track Research Assistant Professor Position in the fall of 2024.  Dr. Chávez is a Utah native with family roots in Mexico and Costa Rica.  She began her undergraduate studies at Salt Lake Community College and later transferred to The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, where she earned a Bachelor of Science.  In 2018, Daniela completed her Ph.D. in the laboratory of Dr. Gillian Stanfield at the University of Utah where she studied sperm development in C. elegans and received training in the Human Genetics Department

Following her Ph.D., Dr. Chávez began her postdoctoral training at Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park and Conservation Biology Institute in the laboratory of Dr. Pierre Comizzoli.  There, she studied oocyte meiotic competence in the domestic cat as a model for improving assisted reproductive techniques for use in endangered wild cats.  She also performed studies on novel techniques for oocyte preservation and assisted in maintaining the Smithsonian’s frozen collection of gametes from a wide variety of species. 

With the help of undergraduate and masters students, she will continue her research on oocyte biology while teaching undergraduate and graduate-level courses. Throughout her career, she has been heavily involved in diversity and inclusion efforts in the fields of reproductive biology and species conservation.  In her new role, Dr. Chávez is looking forward to working at a primarily undergraduate institution that serves a majority minority student body. 

Outside of the lab, Dr. Chávez loves spending time with her young children, snowboarding and camping with friends and family.