Some of Williams lab summer of 2015 and Paulo Oliveira (right)
Joe Williams
Ph.D. 2000
Genetics
University of Georgia
I am broadly interested in the evolution of reproduction in flowering plants. Most recently, I have been attempting to reconstruct historical patterns of evolutionary developmental change in pollen-pistil interactions and pollen dispersal biology. That work has mostly focused on the evolution of pollen performance traits.
Recent Post-doctoral Research Associates
Simon Wallace
Ph.D. 2013
University of Sheffield, UK
Simon did his Ph.D. work on spore wall gene expression of early land plants. He worked here on gene expression of pollen tube wall genes in the pectin methylesterase gene family that may shed light on the early evolution of pollen tube growth in angiosperms.
Current Graduate students
B.S. 2015
Chaminade University of Honolulu, Hawaii)
Harmony started her Master's in Fall of 2015. She is broadly interested conservation biology on islands, especially as applied to her home country of Micronesia.
B. S. 2011
Moravian college, PA
John started his Ph.D. in EEB in the fall of 2013. He is working on effects of genome duplication on the ontogeny of the male gametophyte. To that end, he has chosen to work with an autopolyploid system in the genus, Sedum (Crassulaceae).
Chandler Brown
B.S. expected 2018 in EEB
Chandler worked in the lab in 2016-18 on a project on pollen dispersal biology for his Honor's thesis. He received funding for his work from the UTK office of Undergraduate Research and presented a poster on the work in 2017 at UT. He is co-author on a paper on the linkage between pollen hydration status and pollen sexual maturity, two traits that are known to have opposing effects on dispersal viability and on pollen competitive ability after pollination.
Chandler plans to go on to graduate school in the future.
Jacob Edwards
B.S. 2013 in EEB
Jacob worked as a tech in the lab for two years(2013-2015). He worked on a comparative project on the diversity of pollen tube dimensions in angiosperms... among many other things! He won a Young Botanist Award from the Botanical Society of America (2013) and presented a poster at the Botany 2014 meetings.
Jacob entered grad school in Biology at Colorado State University in Fall of 2016.
Adam Ramsey
B.S. 2013 in EEB
Adam worked on pollen tube growth patterns in early-divergent angiosperms (2013/14).
He won an Undergraduate research award for summer 2013 (UTK), and a Young Botanist Award from the Botanical Society of America (2013).
He started his Ph.D. in Biology at the University of Memphis in Fall of 2014.
Alumni
Andrew Moffatt
B.S. 2012 in EEB, with second major in Philosophy - magna cum laude!
Andrew worked with Dr. Jason Abercrombie doing RNA extractions and pollen tube growth experiments on Cabomba caroliniana. He is a co-author on a "highly-accessed" paper in BMC EvoDevo (2011). In 2012 he finished his senior honors project on pollen germination traits (published in UT Trace, 2012).
Andrew worked as a research tech in the lab for 2012/13 mostly on pollen biology, and we are near finishing a manuscript from that work.
He started his Ph.D. in Philosophy at Florida State University in Fall of 2013. Bravo for winning a prestigious FSAW Fellowship to support his graduate studies for five years!
Dr. Jason Abercrombie
Ph.D. University of Tennessee 2007
Jason worked as a post-doc in the lab in 2009/2010. He initiated work on two genes that have likely served as “developmental enablers” for the evolution of rapid pollen tube growth through a closed carpel - callose synthase (CalS) and pectin methylesterase (PME). He used genomic and bioinformatic tools to find and then characterize pollen and pollen tube members of the CalS gene family in Amborella trichopoda, a number of water lilies, Austrobaileya as well as in the gymnosperms Ginkgo, Gnetum and Pinus. Among other findings, he showed that the CalS5 paralog is expressed in the pollen of gymnosperms but in the pollen and pollen tubes of angiosperms, from Amborella to Arabidopsis and maize. Hence, it appears that CalS5 is an ancient paralog active in pollen/spore development that was recruited for use in growing pollen tubes within flowering plants. His paper, published in EvoDevo (2011), hit the highly accessed category within 8 months of publication.
Jason has gone on to become an excellent high school teacher, currently at Webb school in Knoxville (2012).
Research Project: "Post-pollination processes and mating systems in Illicium (Illiciaceae; Austrobaileyales)"
Nick received partial funding from the State of Florida for this project.
He is now a teacher at Knoxville's Webb School (2014).
Mackenzie Taylor, Ph.D. (2011)
Now Associate professor, Creighton University
Research Project: "Post-pollination processes and reproductive timing in Cabombaceae (Nymphaeales)"
I am interested in the evolution of reproductive structures in basal angiosperms, especially in how interactions between these structures during development has impacted the diversification of flowering plants. My Ph.D involved investigating reproductive timing and post-pollination processes in the basal angiosperm families Cabombaceae (Brasenia and Cabomba) and Hydatellaceae (Trithuria). I focused specifically on the temporal and structural aspects of processes that occur between pollination and fertilization, including pollen germination, pollen tube growth, stigma and ovule receptivity, and fertilization. My goal was to elucidate how these processes interact within reproductive structures to potentially facilitate successful fertilization or alternatively, screen potential mates. My other interests include pollen morphology and development, as well as botanical education.
Mackenzie was funded by an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship (2006-2009) and NSF DDIG (2009-10).
Matt Valente (B. S. Auburn, 2004).
M. S. in EEB 2007
My master's thesis is a study of conservation genetics of the rare basal angiosperm, Schisandra glabra. This vine is found throughout the Southeast USA, but is extremely rare where it occurs, often found as a single patch which may or may not be a single genotype. I used AFLP markers to determine genotypic diversity in such patches and to assess genetic variation and phylogeographic patterns.
Matt is currently in the Ph.D. program in Geography at UTK working with Sally Horn. He received an NSF-DDIG (2011) for that work!
Tatiana Arias (B.S. Universidad de Atioquia, Colombia, 2002)
M.S. in EEB 2007
My general interest as a botanist is on the evolution of morphological characters in angiosperms. More specifically, I am interested in the role of development in the evolutionary history of basal angiosperm groups and the question of the origin of angiosperms. My present research focuses on the development and evolution of the female gametophyte and the sporophytic tissues (embryo and endosperm) it gives rise to, in Manekia naranjoana (Piperaceae). Manekia (also known as Sarcorhachis ) is a rare neotropical vine, whose embryology has not been studied. I am also working on some aspects of reproductive biology such as post-pollination (pollen tube growth) and early post-fertilization (early embryogenesis) events.
Tatiana got her Ph.D. at the University of Missouri-Columbia (2012) with Chris Pires. She won an NSF-DDIG for that work! Now she is working at BIOS - Colombia’s Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology http://bios.co
Chris James (BS in EEB, 2010)
Chris and two other undergraduates studied pollen tube growth patterns in Liriodendron and Magnolia. Chris also worked on the lab on numerous other projects.
Chris entered a Ph.D. program at the University of Mississippi (2011).
Ralph McNeilage (BS in EEB 2009) spent a field season in the ponds working on Nymphaea, and is a co-author on the paper in Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society (2010). Ralph was a Young Botanist of the Year award winner from Botanical Society of America.
Ralph entered a Ph.D. program at UC-Davis in Fall of 2009. He surprised me at a conference in Davis by stepping up to introduce me!
Matthew Lettre (BS in EEB 2011)
Matt worked on the Austrobaileya, Nymphaea and Trithuria pollen tube studies. Then he worked on a pollen hydration and germination study that is in progress (2012). He is a co-author of a paper for Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society (2010).
Matt is now working on a PhD in public health at U. of Memphis (2012).
Cyndi Crossini worked for credit in the lab Spring, summer and fall of 2006. She is involved on the Austrobaileya scandens project. She apparently loves complex life histories, because she wants to work with red algae! Cyndi was funded by an NSF-REU in summer of 2007.
M. S. in EEB, University of Tennessee, 2012
Annie worked in the field on the Cabomba and Brasenia project with Mackenzie Taylor, and then did labwork on other species (Summer/Fall 2007). She also travelled to Australia with Mackenzie to help her in the field. She went on to do an MS with Dr. Randy Small.
Aaron Floden
Aaron and two other undergraduates studied pollen tube growth patterns in Liriodendron and Magnolia. Aaron also worked in the greenhouse and herbarium. He started his M.S. in EEB in Ed Schilling in 2012.
Andrew Herget worked as a tech in the lab summer and fall 2006. He was funded by an NSF-REU in summer of 2007. Andrew was interested in computer science and genetics.
Sadly, Andrew passed away in 2010. His work will not be forgotten.
Matt Heard (B. S. University of Tennessee, 2004).
Ph.D. 2011, Brown University
Lab tech (2005/2006). Matt came to the lab as an avowed ecologist, but quickly learned how to use molecular genetic tools. He worked on two projects, one involving a mating system study of Austrobaileya and the other a phylogeography study of Betula neoalaskana.
Despite his stellar performance as a geneticist, he returned to his love of ecology, and received a Ph.D. in EEB at Brown University (2012). He is now doing a post-doc at Brown.
Kimberly Kennard (B. S. University of Tennessee, 2004)
M. S. in EEB, University of Tennessee, 2008
Lab tech (2004/2005). Kim completed development of a set of microsatellite markers for Austrobaileya. She was so good that she was recruited away from the plant world to work on bats, receiving her MS in 2008.
Shinara Taylor (B. S. University of Tennessee, 2004).
Lab tech (2003-2004). Shinara completed an elaborate study of Betula leaf characters, including stomata, for a study of hybridization and polyploidy in a birch hybrid zone. Shinara graduated with an art degree, but went on to work in Entomology at UT.
Ethan Lockhart and Darrell Anthony (June 2007)
These high school students did a project under Matt Valente's supervision learning how to sequence chloroplast DNA of Schisandra. They came to us from the Math and Science Center and UT Upward Bound program.
Claire VonDohlen and Alex Hagamann studied character evolution (style length, life history traits) across angiosperms using literature surveys (2011).
David Fowler and Aaron Floden studied pollen tube growth patterns (2009/10) in Liriodendron and Magnolia. Aaron is now doing his MS in EEB at UTK (2012).
Jim Parker, a retired high-school teacher but still an enthusiastic student, spent many hours on the lake pollinating Brasenia flowers in the summer of 2006.
Katherine Smith spent many hours in the field (marsh) pollinating Cabomba in the summer of 2006.
Galen Yacalis worked in the lab during Spring of 2006. He is fascinated with plant anatomy, and learned to section material quite well. He initiated a side project on Joinvilleaceae (Poales) female gametophtye ontogeny. Galen transferred to the University of Texas, Austin in 2006.
