Wen-Hsi Kuo PhD Candidate [email protected] I am a PhD candidate from Taiwan and interested in plant population genetics and their diversity. Currently, I am working on the molecular genetics of cyanide detoxification in white clover. Cyanogenesis (cyanide release upon tissue damage) is a natural polymorphic trait in white clover. Cyanogenic populations may have better herbivore defense but also need to develop an efficient detoxification pathway to metabolism excess cyanide, which is toxic to plant tissues at high concentrations. Therefore, the regulation of detoxification pathway should be considered as important as the synthesis pathway. The knowledge of the detoxification pathway can help us understand the tradeoff of being cyanogenic, which is now a popular topic in agriculture improvement.
Marshall Wedger Postdoctoral Researcher [email protected] I am a postdoc and former graduate student in the Olsen Lab. I currently work on population genomic questions in the weedy rice system, which are feral descendants of cultivated rice that compete aggressively in rice fields and negatively impact yield. My postdoc work seeks to extend my graduate work by expanding weedy rice sampling from a single county in Arkansas to three states in the rice-growing south. More broadly, my research interests are at the intersection of agriculture and evolution. To that end, I am also leading projects in Echinochloa and Setaria genome evolution.
I am broadly interested in the processes driving plant diversity and adaptive radiations, especially rapid radiations. I work on systems in the Andes of South America and tropical islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. My PhD research focuses on a group of about 25 species in the genus Hibiscus section Lilibiscus. Species in sect. Lilibiscus have dispersed across the globe in surprising ways, and I am working on deciphering the patterns of this radiation using genomic methods. This group is also highly endangered, so work is also heavily conservation focused.
Raymond Castillo Rotating Gratduate Student [email protected] I am a rotating PhD student in the Olsen lab working with the Setaria pangenome. I am currently investigating structural vatiation in the way gene of several Setaria accessions.
Kiersten Granthwohl Lab Technician [email protected] Kiersten is the Lab Technician for the Olsen Lab. She majored in Animal Science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (2018) and has a Master’s degree in Biology from Murray State University (2020). In the lab, Kiersten maintains lab organization and assists with different research projects. She also works as the Clover Project Coordinator.
Evan Xiao Undergraduate Researcher [email protected] I am an undergraduate student broadly interested in the field of ecology and evolution. I assist with various research projects, especially on the molecular level.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8338-3638
