Raphael obtained his B.Sc. degree in Biological Sciences and his M.Sc. degree in Genetics at the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG) in Brazil. In his Ph.D. at the Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre and the Goethe University Frankfurt in Germany, he analysed whole-genome data to study speciation and hybridization in giraffe. Raphael is highly proficient at goofing around and laughing at his own jokes. His hobbies include hiking, bouldering, photography, gaming,and watching anime. He joined the Odom lab as a bioinformatician in 2022.