Dr. Daniela Vergara is an evolutionary biologist researchingCannabis genomics at the University of Colorado Boulder. InadditiontohermultiplepublicationsinCannabis,shefoundedand directs a non-profit organization, the AgriculturalGenomicsFoundation (AGF;AgriculturalGenomics.org).AGF’saim is tomakeCannabis science available to a broad public.Vergara is also partof the scientific company SteepHill, Inc.whoareagloballeaderinCannabisscienceandlabtesting.

Dr. Vergara’s latest scientific publications include thecomparison of the federal Cannabis to that produced by theprivatemarket,showingthatthegovernment’sCannabislackedpotency and variation. These results were featured in newsplatforms such as The Atlantic, Science and FiveThirtyEight.Someofherotherscientificpublicationsareacompilationontheexistinggenomic tools available forCannabisresearch thatwas featured inScience,and thematernally inherited genomes (chloroplast and mitochondria). Vergara has authored thesepublications advised by Dr. NolanKanewhose group at CU Boulder she joined in 2013. Thesepublicationsareaproductofcollaborationsbetweengraduateandundergraduatestudents,andscientistsfromtheCannabisIndustry.

Through AGF, Vergara educates the public about science, Cannabis, evolutionary biology, andgenomics. AGF also supports the Cannabis Genomic Research Initiative (CGRI;CannabisGenomics.org),groupthatDrs.VergaraandKanefoundedtoexploretheCannabisgenome.

AtSteepHill,Inc.VergaraisdevelopingacommercialservicethatwilldeterminetherelationshipbetweenCannabisvarieties.

BesidesbeingareviewerformultiplescientificjournalssuchasMolecularEcologyandtheBiologicalJournaloftheLinneanSociety,VergarahasalsobeenanexpertwitnessinlegalCannabistestimonies.

Currently, Dr. Vergara is exploring the genes related to the productionof CBD andTHC, and isassociatingthisimportantphysicaltraittothegenome.

MostofVergara’sresearchhasbeenfundedbyprivateindividualswhobelieveinhercausewithdonationstoAGFthatholdsa501(C)3status.

Togetupdatesofherresearch,followDr.Vergaraontwitter(@CannaGenomics).