Stacy Jorgensen
B.S. Plant Biology, University of Vermont, 2009
M.S. Plant Biology, University of Vermont, 2012
Broadly, I am interested in molecular and functional evolution in vascular plants, frequently with a focus on the spore-dispersed plants. I got started at the University of Vermont, working with Jeanne Harris on root development in Medicago truncatula, where I quickly became interested in genetics and development. At UVM I later worked with Dave Barrington on polyploidy and speciation in the fern genus Polystichum, studying the evolutionary history of the allotetraploid Polystichum braunii. Following completion of my M.S., I worked as a researcher in the laboratory of Jill Preston, where we focused on the evolution of perenniality and associated traits in the core eudicots. Later, I moved to the University of Arizona, where I studied the influence of whole genome duplication on genetic diversity across the vascular plants, as well as genome evolution and population genetics in Selaginella with Mike Barker.
In the Beilstein lab, I am currently working on evolution of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the lycophyte genus Selaginella, an emerging model system in the study of plant evolution. lncRNAs are being studied in several flowering plant lineages, including Brassicaceae, but little is known about lncRNAs in plants outside of the angiosperms. The 'resurrection' phenotype, wherein plants desiccate and enter a state of dormancy during drought and quickly recover when moisture is again available, has arisen multiple times in Selaginella. I am using a comparative approach to investigate the evolution, conservation, and function of lncRNAs in resurrecting and non-resurrecting Selaginella species, providing evolutionary insight into the genomes of early-diverging vascular plants, and expanding understanding of the genetic and molecular underpinnings of desiccation tolerance.
When I’m not in the lab, you might find me experimenting in the kitchen, reading a science fiction novel, talking out loud to the cat, or looking for hidden gems at the thrift shop.
Email: sajorgensen@email.arizona.edu
Stacy on Google Scholar
M.S. Plant Biology, University of Vermont, 2012
Broadly, I am interested in molecular and functional evolution in vascular plants, frequently with a focus on the spore-dispersed plants. I got started at the University of Vermont, working with Jeanne Harris on root development in Medicago truncatula, where I quickly became interested in genetics and development. At UVM I later worked with Dave Barrington on polyploidy and speciation in the fern genus Polystichum, studying the evolutionary history of the allotetraploid Polystichum braunii. Following completion of my M.S., I worked as a researcher in the laboratory of Jill Preston, where we focused on the evolution of perenniality and associated traits in the core eudicots. Later, I moved to the University of Arizona, where I studied the influence of whole genome duplication on genetic diversity across the vascular plants, as well as genome evolution and population genetics in Selaginella with Mike Barker.
In the Beilstein lab, I am currently working on evolution of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in the lycophyte genus Selaginella, an emerging model system in the study of plant evolution. lncRNAs are being studied in several flowering plant lineages, including Brassicaceae, but little is known about lncRNAs in plants outside of the angiosperms. The 'resurrection' phenotype, wherein plants desiccate and enter a state of dormancy during drought and quickly recover when moisture is again available, has arisen multiple times in Selaginella. I am using a comparative approach to investigate the evolution, conservation, and function of lncRNAs in resurrecting and non-resurrecting Selaginella species, providing evolutionary insight into the genomes of early-diverging vascular plants, and expanding understanding of the genetic and molecular underpinnings of desiccation tolerance.
When I’m not in the lab, you might find me experimenting in the kitchen, reading a science fiction novel, talking out loud to the cat, or looking for hidden gems at the thrift shop.
Email: sajorgensen@email.arizona.edu
Stacy on Google Scholar