Linking Plant Traits and Genetic Diversity for Conservation.
Moisés Expósito-Alonso, Professor
Integrative Biology
Applications for Spring 2026 are closed for this project.
Why do some plants thrive while others face extinction? While the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) tracks species risk, they often overlook a critical factor: genetic diversity. Genetic diversity is the "fuel" for adaptation; without it, plants cannot evolve to survive climate change or new diseases. Our project bridges this gap by analyzing the relationship between physical traits (like lifespan and seed mass) and genetic diversity across 200+ diverse plant species.
We are looking for a motivated undergraduate to join our team as a Data and Research Apprentice. Your initial focus will be building and verifying a comprehensive plant trait database. While this involves meticulous data verification and potentially building web-scrapers to gather information, it serves as your "bootcamp" in plant life history and data science.
As the project progresses, it will move into the genetics phase, where you will use this data to explore patterns of genetic diversity across traits. This has the potential to be a multi-year growth opportunity—we are looking for a student who wants to start with the data foundations and eventually lead their own analyses.
To provide a well-rounded experience, you will have the opportunity to assist with field experiments for a few weeks each semester. This hands-on work will complement your computational skills and give you a holistic view of plant biology.
Role: Bioinformatics & Data Science: Gain proficiency in R or Python, data cleaning, and genomic analysis.
Deepen Biological Knowledge: Explore how plant traits (life history, form, and function) dictate evolutionary success.
Collaborative Environment: Work closely with a PhD mentor and a broader team of researchers.
Professional Development: Potential for co-authorship on publications and support for presenting at conferences.
Field Experience: Gain practical skills in ecological fieldwork and experimental setup.
Qualifications: We believe that curiosity is one of the best predictors of success. We are accepting students from all tangentially relevant backgrounds (Biology, Environmental Science, Computer Science, Statistics, etc.).
Desired Traits:
Excitement to Learn: You are genuinely interested in plant conservation and genetics.
Flexibility: You are comfortable with a project that may evolve from data collection to complex analysis.
Attention to Detail: You understand that high-quality science depends on high-quality data.
Coding Interest: Some experience with coding (R/Python) is a plus, but not required—we are happy to teach someone with a strong desire to learn.
Commitment: We are specifically looking for a student who wants to grow with this project over several semesters.
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Jules Perez, Ph.D. candidate
Hours: to be negotiated
Biological & Health Sciences