In today’s episode, we chat with Nathalie Alomar, a fourth-year PhD student in Yale’s Ecology and Evolutionary Biology program. She shares how her undergraduate research and the mentorship she received through the MARC program ignited her passion for ecological research and steered her towards pursuing a PhD. We also dive into her fascinating thesis work studying the environmental factors affecting the evolution of salamander species in the Appalachian Mountains. Along the way, Nathalie elaborates on the challenges of graduate school, the power of collaboration, and the joy she’s found in mentoring aspiring scientists.