Center for Computational Molecular Biology

Karina Bellavia is a first-year PhD student in Computational Biology at Brown University. Her research focuses on applying population genomics to better understand the evolution and transmission of vector-borne diseases, particularly malaria. She earned her undergraduate degree in Biology, with minors in Mathematics and Public Health, from St. Lawrence University, where she studied the ecology and phenology of robber flies. She then completed her master’s in Biostatistics at Harvard University, working in Dr. Dyann Wirth’s malaria lab, where she found an exciting intersection between her interests in entomology, quantitative methods, and global health. At Brown, Karina is eager to deepen her work in infectious disease genomics, expand her skills as a computational biologist, and grow as both a scientist and educator. She looks forward to engaging with the CCMB community and building lasting collaborations across disciplines.Outside of research, Karina enjoys running, hiking, biking, skiing, practicing yoga, reading, trying new foods, listening to crime podcasts, and sharing animal fun facts.