M.Sc. 2011 with Gary Torranzos and Tomas Hrbek
Rita is interested in the biology and conservation of marine sea turtles and specifically in Hawksbill turtles. For her Masters project, Rita studied the demography of papillomavirus caused tumor outbreaks in Hawksbill turtles from Culebra Island, and also the demographic history of the papillomavirus. Rita obtained her Masters degree from the Biology program of the University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras campus. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. at the University of Exeter, UK working with West African sea turtles.