Previous Lab Members

Lab Members (previous)

Masters student: Taylor Gardner (2023-2025) 
Taylor investigated the flower morphology and mating system of Penstemon cobaea demonstrating that a population at Konza Prairie exhibits extreme variation in herkogamy (separation of anthers from stigma) ranging from reverse to no to approach herkogamy. Taylor developed microsatellite loci to investigate levels of outcrossing compared to selfing and her preliminary data suggest that the morphological variation in herkogamy does not translate to differences in outcrossing rate. 

Ph.D. student: Amanda Katzer (2017-2024) 
Amanda demonstrated the importance of nectary area as a pollination syndrome trait in Penstemon. She determined key genes differentially expressed in nectaries and her work narrowed our focus to just a few candidate genes likely to play important roles in determining nectar volume differences between species. After finishing her Ph.D., she joined Dr. Steele's lab at the NIH as a postdoctoral researcher.

Technician: Lane Anaya (2022-2024)
Lane contributed to QTL mapping work in Penstemon. She optimized the RNAscope in situ hybridization protocol for Mimulus, and quatified vasculature traits associated with Penstemon nectary tissues. After leaving the lab, she was a Post-baccalaureate researcher in the KU BioGEMS program and then transitioned to the Ph.D. program in Molecular Biosciences at KU.

Masters student: Noelle Schlenk (2021-2023) 
Noelle carried out bioinformatic work in the Hileman lab to confirm proper assembly of one of our newest genomes, Penstemon kunthii, by linking the physical assembly to a genetic map derived from a cross between P. kunthii and P. amphorellae. She also putatively identified centromeres based upon DNA sequence characteristics. After completing her degree, she became a bioinformatics technician at Stanford University.

Technician: Kaylee Livingston (2020-2022)
Kaylee contributed to dissecting the roles of flower symmetry genes in Mimulus lewisii, and our quantitative genetic work on Penstemon. She is considering graduate school in plant genetics as a next step.

Masters student: Taryn Dunivant (2018-2021) 
Taryn determined the function of CYCLOIDEA paralogs in Mimulus lewisii through both gene expression and functional (RNAi) studies. She was instrumental in brining M. lewisii stable transformation to the Hileman lab. After finishing her degree, she transitioned to the Ph.D. program in Botany & Plant Sciences at U.C. Riverside.

Postdoc: Dr. Carolyn Wessinger (2014-2020) 
Carrie was instrumental in developing Penstemon as a model system. She determined macroevolutionary patterns associated with pollination syndrome transition in the context of a newly established phylogeny and she discovered the genetic architecture of trait transitions between bee- and hummingbird-adapted species. After her postdoctoral training, Carrie joined the faculty of Biology at the University of South Carolina. Here's a link to Carrie at USC.

Ph.D. student: Aniket Sengupta (2012-2019)
Aniket demonstrated that the flower symmetry program likely functions as an integrated module in fruit development. And that it is from this ancestral function that the program was recruited for its role in establishing bilateral flower symmetry. After finishing his Ph.D., Aniket moved to a postdoctoral research position at St. John's University with Dr. Dianella Haworth. Here is a link to Aniket's website

Postdoc: Dr. Vibhuti Singh (2018)
Vibhuti investigated the role CYCLOIDEA in Mimulus lewisii. She was instrumental in establishing M. lewisii stable transformation protocols in the lab. She is now faculty at the University of Delhi.

Ph.D. Student: Jack Colicchio: (2011-2016)
Co-mentored by Lena Hileman and John Kelly, Jack determined how gene expression and DNA methylation is altered by variation in parental environment. He additionally demonstrated through field experiments that plastic responses to variation in parental environment can have important fitness consequences. After completing his Ph.D., Jack moved to a postdoc position at UC Berkeley with Dr. Ben Blackman, he then took his skills to positions in industry.

Postdoc: Dr. Jill Preston (2007-2012)
In the Hileman lab, Jill determined patterns of conservation and diversification in both floral and flowering time developmental networks. Jill is now an associate professor at the University of Vermont.

Technician: Rebecca Orozco (2011-2012)
 In the Hileman lab, Rebecca worked on evolution in the flowering time pathway.  After leaving the lab, Rebecca completed her Master's in Library Science in Minnesota.

Master’s Student: Jacob Landis (2009-2011)
In the Hileman lab, Jacob investigated the developmental genetics of floral organ identity and petal cell shape in close relatives of snapdragon. He went on to receive his PhD working with Dr. Pam Soltis at The University of Florida, and is now a postdoc in the Koenig Lab at UC Riverside.

Technician: Laryssa Barnett (2006-2010)
Laryssa joined the Hileman lab as an undergraduate researcher her Senior year at KU, and stayed on as a technician in the lab for three years. Laryssa contributed significantly to many projects in the lab, primarily determining the genetic basis for epigenetic inheritance of trichome density in Mimulus and developing VIGS for Plantaginaceae species, Laryssa received her PhD working with Dr. John Willis at Duke University.

Technician: Matthew Kost (2005-2008)
Matthew joined the lab as an undergraduate, his Senior year at KU, and stayed on in the lab as a technician for two years. Matthews work in the lab was instrumental towards our goals of isolating symmetry genes from various non-model species, and in applying VIGS technology to various non-model species. Matthew received his PhD working with Dr. Kristin Mercer at Ohio State University.

Post-baccelaureate student (PREP program at KU): Ciera Martinez (2008-2009)
Ciera joined the lab after finishing her Bachelor's Degree in Biology from Northeastern Illinois University. She participated in the PREP program at KU and her main research focus was determining how the symmetry developmental network is functioning in Plantago. Ciera received her PhD working with Dr. Neelima Sinha at UC Davis, and is now a postdoc in the UC Berkeley Institute for Data Science.