I am intrigued by the different factors that facilitate the rapid diversification of species. To try to understand this, I combine different approaches such as taxonomy, biogeography, phylogenetics, population genetics, and genomics. For several years I have been studying how the geological history of an island, inter-island colonization and hybridization affect the diversification process of insular taxa. I have been studying this in genus Micromeria (Lamiaceae) in the Canary Islands using morphometric analyses, single nuclear markers, microsatellites, and RADseq. My taxonomical research has been mostly focused on the Andean genus Calceolaria (Calceolariaceae), on its distribution and species limits. More recently, I am exploring the applications of metabarcoding to study plant-pollinators interactions.
Graduate Students:
Madeline (Maddy) Thompson
I am from Mankato, Minnesota. I completed my bachelor's degree in standard biology at North Dakota State University. I'm a master's student in Dr. Pamela Puppo's lab. I will be working towards a thesis on sunflower and bee interactions. In my free time, I enjoy hanging out outside or at the mall.
Zachary (Zach) Shamblin
I am from Charleston, West Virginia. My undergrad research was performed here, in the Marshall University Herbarium. My areas of research include herbarium informatics and plant ecology. I devote my free time to my newly acquired hobby of woodworking, reading, and playing video games.
Undergraduate students:
Abagail Parker
I am from Fort Gay, West Virginia. I am a junior Clinical Exercise Physiology major with an emphasis on pre-med. My plans for the future consist of getting into medical school and becoming an emergency medicine physician. In my free time I love to enjoy the outdoors, volunteering at local hospitals, and listening to music.
Rachael Caudill
I am from Barboursville, West Virginia. I am a sophomore, biological science major with emphasis in pre-med. In the future, I plan to attend medical school. My dream is to become a cardiothoracic surgeon. As a member of Delta Zeta, I serve as Vice President of Membership Development in the Marshall University Panhellenic counsel. In my free time, I enjoy reading, tutoring, and traveling.