Dr. Marianne Brasil started her journey in Berkeley as an undergraduate student and is finishing it strong, years later, as a postdoc scholar at the Human Evolution Research Center.
As an undergrad, Marianne initially wanted to be pre-med and was majoring in bioengineering. But she quickly realized she loved the biology part more than the engineering. So she switched from the College of Engineering to the College of Letters and Science. During that time, she stumbled upon a course in Anthropology and pursued it to fulfill her course requirements. Eventually, she was introduced to the area of anthropology that deals with the biology of humans. From there on, she was hooked!
Marianne is now working as a biological anthropologist during her postdoc. Her research focuses on the connection between anthropology, the study of humans, and biology, the study of life. She studies humans as biological organisms and how our biology interfaces with our culture.
To narrow it down further, her area of expertise is human evolution. She is interested in discovering more about the early origins of our species, where we come from, and how we've evolved, especially in the last half a million years or so.
Marianne’s curiosity about human origins is the impetus behind her research and academic pursuits. But what keeps her motivated through the toughest days is working with her students.
“As a grad student, I got to mentor five undergrad research assistants and that was one of the best and most fulfilling experiences of my grad school,” she added.
As a first-generation college student, Marianne is passionate about creating more research opportunities for other firsthand students and students from underrepresented backgrounds. In the coming fall, she is starting a new job as an assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology at Western Washington University. Marianne's future goal as a faculty member is to bring more young students into research and mentor them.
“I think that's the energizing part of the work,” she added.