Biography
Dr. Braz seeks to understand the interaction between the genome and environmental factors, and how it affects animal physiology leading to adaptation. She explores a variety of genetic information (genomics, transcriptomics, and epigenomics) and computational biology techniques to identify biomarkers affecting particular physiological functions of animals raised in different environmental conditions. Such information can be used to better understand environmental adaptation; improve animal production, reproduction, and health; and reduce the environmental impact of livestock production.
Research Interests
- Identification of biomarkers associated with economically important traits in livestock species.
- Integration of genomics, transcriptomics, and epigenomics using bioinformatics tools.
- Investigation of how genomes interact with environmental factors affecting physiology and adaptation of livestock animals.
Education
- Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA (2020-2022)
- Postdoctoral Fellow, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA (2019)
- Ph.D., Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil (2012-2016)
- M.S., Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Jaboticabal, SP, Brazil (2011-2012)
- B.S., Sao Paulo State University (UNESP), Ilha Solteira, SP, Brazil (2006-2010)
Additional Campus Affiliations
Assistant Professor, Animal Sciences
Affiliate, Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology
External Links
Recent Publications
dos Anjos Lima, L. A., Maia, M. I. L., Afo, D. I. B., Maia, A. F., Givisiez, P. E. N., Guerra, R. R., Braz, C. U., & Saraiva, E. P. (2025). Effects of exogenous phytase supplementation on the modulation of hormonal responses in Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica) at high environmental temperatures during the production phase. Poultry science, 104(10), Article 105590. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2025.105590
Kizilaslan, M., Braz, C. U., Townsend, J., Taylor, T., Crenshaw, T. D., & Khatib, H. (2025). Transgenerational Epigenetic and Phenotypic Inheritance Across Five Generations in Sheep. International journal of molecular sciences, 26(13), Article 6412. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms26136412
Lima, L. A. D. A., Maia, M. I. L., Afo, D. I. B., Maia, A. F., Costa, F. G. P., Givisiez, P. E. N., Guerra, R. R., Braz, C. U., & Saraiva, E. P. (2025). Phytase Overdoses Enhance Thermoregulatory Processes via Convection and Radiation in Japanese Quails (Coturnix japonica) Raised in Hot Environments. Animals, 15(17), Article 2518. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15172518
Berg, M. D., Braz, C. U., & Dean, M. (2024). Progesterone increases metabolism via the pentose phosphate pathway in bovine uterine epithelial cells. Molecular Biology Reports, 51(1), Article 1076. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-024-10001-0
Braz, C. U., Passamonti, M. M., & Khatib, H. (2024). Characterization of genomic regions escaping epigenetic reprogramming in sheep. Environmental Epigenetics, 10(1), Article dvad010. https://doi.org/10.1093/eep/dvad010