I am an incoming (Spring 2024) Assistant Professor in the School of Plant Sciences at the University of Arizona.  I'm an Arizona native with roots from Durango, Mexico.I earned a Bachelors of Science from the University of Arizona in Biology (Bear Down!) and received a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology. Working with Angela Kent at UIUC, my research focused on understanding how genetic variation in the plant shaped microbiome assembly and function. This was when I feel in love with microbial ecology and plant biology! After finishing my Ph.D., I moved to  California to work with Steve Allison at UC-Irvine. My research here focused on how diverse plant-microbiome interactions responded to long-term drought response. 

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When I have time, I like to listen podcasts, play video games, hike, and spending times with friends/family. 

I am a Postdoctoral Research Associate in the Favela Lab School of Plant Sciences, University of Arizona. My research focuses on how plant–microbe interactions influence nutrient cycling, drought responses, and crop performance. I am interested in understanding how plant genotypes and root-associated microbiomes regulate nitrogen transformations and other beneficial soil functions. My work combines controlled microcosm, greenhouse, and field experiments with microbiome, metagenomic, transcriptomic, and metabolomic approaches to better understand these interactions and identify strategies for more sustainable and resilient agricultural systems.

I am a PhD candidate in the School of Plant Sciences. I joined the Favela Lab at the beginning of 2025 after my previous lab moved to the University of Oxford, and I decided to stay in sunny Arizona. My current project focuses on maize genomics after generations of inbreeding, and how gene/ transposable element purging might affect microbiome dynamics. I received my MS in weed science from Utah State University where I studied invasive annual grass management with herbicides, as well as restoration and prevention. I completed my Bachelor of Science at the University of Arizona in 2018 in Plant Sciences, where I graduated as the outstanding senior. I attended Eastern Arizona College for my Associate of Science in Biology from 2016-2018.

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In my spare time, I enjoy cosplaying, playing videogames, practicing the piano, singing, quilting, cross stitching, and fish keeping.

I am a PhD student and NSF BRIDGES fellow studying Plant Pathology. I completed my bachelor's at Pomona College, where I majored in Molecular Biology. During my undergrad, I was part of Professor Carrie Kiel’s lab, where I researched the pollinator-driven evolution of stigmas and pollen in Western Hemisphere Justiciinae. I then spent my gap year at the Desert Botanical Garden, where I investigated the role of rattlesnakes as secondary seed dispersers of desert plants. I am now excited to be in the Favela lab, where I hope to gain a deeper understanding of the role that plant-microbe interactions play in adapting to stressful environments.
In my free time, I enjoy creating art, exploring new areas of town, reading, and spending time outdoors.

I am excited to begin my PhD journey in Plant Pathology in the Favela Lab, where I aim to contribute to sustainable agriculture by researching plant-microbe interactions. I earned my BSc in Biotechnology from Arkansas State University Campus Querétaro. During my undergraduate studies, I worked on the unraveling of microorganisms from a crater lake at the Ecology and Evolution Lab at UNAM. Prior to joining the lab, I served as a research assistant in the Coconut Palm Laboratory at the Yucatan Research Center, focusing on the detection of lethal yellowing disease and the acclimatization of in vitro-propagated plants.

I am the lab manager of the Favela lab, and it is my job to ensure lab organization/safety and help make sure projects run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. I am from Claremont, California, and moved to Tucson to earn my bachelor’s in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology here at the University of Arizona. During my undergraduate years working here, I researched microbial biofilms and their potential to alter soil characteristics such as water retention. My project focus was on how nutrient availability/diversity of a soil microbiome influences community biofilm production. In my free time outside of the lab, I love reading, baking, crocheting, and just about anything artistic!

Hi! My name is Emily, and I am a Junior undergrad majoring in Plant Sciences. I look forward to better understanding microbial functions and their impacts on sustainable agriculture through my research in Dr. Favela’s lab. In my free time, I enjoy tending to my houseplants, antiquing, and crafting.

In Development 

In Development

If you are interested in studying ecosystems, microbes, or plants please reach out! 

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If you are an undergraduate interested in research fill out this google forum and reach out to Dr. Favela via email. 

 I'm an ex-research beagle, who has come out of academic retirement to act as the mascot of the Favela lab. 

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I like to take naps, get zoomies, eat whatever I can get my paws on, and stare wistfully into your soul.