Mariana Wolfner Seminar

Mariana Federica Wolfner is Cornell's Distinguished Professor of Arts and Sciences in Molecular Biology & Genetics, a Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellow, and is currently Associate Department Chair. Her research focuses on understanding the genetic and molecular bases for important reproductive processes that occur around the time when a sperm fertilizes an egg. Primarily using the Drosophila model, the Wolfner laboratory studies how seminal proteins modulate the physiology and behavior of female insects and (separately) the molecular signals that "activate" an oocyte to initiate embryo development and begin its proliferative mitotic divisions. Mariana received a B.A. in Biology (Genetics concentration) and Chemistry from Cornell, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Stanford, and did postdoctoral work at UC San Diego. She has mentored 46 graduate students, 37 postdoctoral scholars, and over 100 undergraduate or high school students in research. Her main current teaching includes EvoDevo and (separately) Advanced Genetics. Mariana has been honored to receive awards and recognition for her research from the Genetics Society of America, the Entomological Society of America, the International Congress of Entomology Council, a MERIT award from NICHD, and from Cornell for her teaching and advising, and for fostering diversity, inclusion, and equity in graduate education. Mariana is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences and of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In addition to serving on editorial Boards and grants panels, Mariana was President of the Genetics Society of America in 2024, was appointed to the NICHD Council in 2024, Chaired the 2017 Gordon Research Conference on Fertilization & Activation of Development, and was a member of the Scientific Advisory Council for the Frontiers in Reproduction course at Woods Hole/MBL (2018-2024).