Evolutionary Ecologist. Mutualism & symbiosis. Gardener. Dad. Husband. Dog walker. Department Chair. #BlackLivesMatter #Ally
Joel Sachs
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If you'd like to support her family, you can do so here: www.mealtrain.com/trains/l3kg64
Joel Sachs
The EEOB Department is heartbroken by the sudden and unexpected loss of our colleague and friend, Adriana. We extend our deepest condolences to Dr. Romero Olivares’ family, friends, colleagues, and all who knew her,
before coming to UCR. Adriana grew up in Mexico in a town known for growing oranges. The baseball team there is called the "Naranjeros" (roughly translating to "orange growers"), so she said that it felt like it was meant to be to settle in Riverside.
A core goal of her research was to study desert fungi to help us plan and mitigate the effects of global warming. At heart, Adriana was a soil microbiologist, and her research explored how fungi respond and adapt to a changing environment.
Adriana was well known and appreciated for her kind and generous nature, her hard and public advocacy to enhance equal access in higher education, and her immense excitement to study fungi in natural habitats, especially the deserts of the American Southwest.
Dr. Romero Olivares received both her Bachelors and Masters from Universidad Autónoma de Baja California. She then came to UC Irvine for her Ph.D. After multiple postdoc appointments, she landed a job at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, where she stayed for five years
especially her husband, Dr. Jovani Catalan Dibene, and her two young children.
With deepest sympathy,
Joel L. Sachs
Professor & Chair, Evolution Ecology & Organismal Biology
Adriana joined UCR on January 1, 2026, and was just starting up her research and teaching here.
Although her career was cut short, Dr. Romero Olivares had a huge impact on her field of microbial ecology and on the many students and researchers that she touched.
Dear Colleagues, It is with immense sadness and shock that I share the passing of Dr. Adriana Romero Olivares, a brand-new Assistant Professor in the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology at UC Riverside.
www.mealtrain.com/trains/l3kg64
Joel Sachs
Joel Sachs
Joel Sachs
Joel Sachs
Joel Sachs
Joel Sachs
Joel Sachs
Joel Sachs
Hi all, Please help out the family of Adriana Romero Olivares. Her husband, Jovani, and kids can be helped with meals over the next weeks as Adriana recovers.
