Lab Members
Lucas C. Majure, Keeper/Curator of the Herbarium (FLAS), Principal Investigator
Ph.D. (Botany), University of Florida, 2012
M.Sc. (Biology), Mississippi State University, 2007
B.S. (Biology), Mississippi State University, 2003
Research Gate profile: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Lucas_Majure
Post Doctoral Associates
Monique Romeiro-Brito, Ph.D., Post Doctoral Associate (Fall 2023)
Ph.D., Universidade Federal de São Carlos, 2023
Monique worked on the phylogenomics of tribe Cereeae (Cactaceae) for her Ph.D. studies, making great strides towards
generating fundamental datasets for understanding the evolutionary history of the family. Monique started in the lab Fall 2023
and is working on our NSF-funded project to tackle the worldwide phylogeny of Melastomataceae.
Ph.D., Universidade Federal de São Carlos, 2023
Monique worked on the phylogenomics of tribe Cereeae (Cactaceae) for her Ph.D. studies, making great strides towards
generating fundamental datasets for understanding the evolutionary history of the family. Monique started in the lab Fall 2023
and is working on our NSF-funded project to tackle the worldwide phylogeny of Melastomataceae.
Current Graduate Students
Yuley Encarnación Piñeyro, Ph.D. Student (Fall 2019)
Yuley worked on the population demographics of a Hispaniolan endemic species
of Melocactus, M. praerupticola (Cactaceae) for her bachelor's degree at
the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo. Yuley started at UF in the Fall 2019
and is working out biogeographic patterns of Cactaceae in the Greater Antilles, as well as a treatment
for the Cactaceae of her home island of Hispaniola.
Yuley worked on the population demographics of a Hispaniolan endemic species
of Melocactus, M. praerupticola (Cactaceae) for her bachelor's degree at
the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo. Yuley started at UF in the Fall 2019
and is working out biogeographic patterns of Cactaceae in the Greater Antilles, as well as a treatment
for the Cactaceae of her home island of Hispaniola.
Thomas Murphy, Ph.D. Student (Fall 2020)
Thomas worked on revisionary systematics of the Clematis subgenus Viorna (Ranunculaceae) for his M.Sc. He started in Fall 2020 and is investigating species limits, biogeography, and phylogenetics of the Neotropical clade of Smilax for his Ph.D.
Thomas worked on revisionary systematics of the Clematis subgenus Viorna (Ranunculaceae) for his M.Sc. He started in Fall 2020 and is investigating species limits, biogeography, and phylogenetics of the Neotropical clade of Smilax for his Ph.D.
Malu Ore Rengifo, Ph.D. Student (Fall 2021)
Malu worked on a revision of Dragon's Blood Croton for her undergraduate work. For her Ph.D. studies, she's focusing on
the phylogenomics and systematics of the Neotropical clade Chaetogastra (Melastomataceae).
Malu worked on a revision of Dragon's Blood Croton for her undergraduate work. For her Ph.D. studies, she's focusing on
the phylogenomics and systematics of the Neotropical clade Chaetogastra (Melastomataceae).
Esteban Jiménez, Ph.D. Student (Fall 2022)
Esteban has worked broadly on the Costa Rican (and Mesomaerican) flora, including broad scale floristics studies, and has also produced a treatment for the genus Aristolochia for Costa Rica during his M.Sc. and the University of Costa Rica. Esteban will be working on the systematics of the genus Peperomia (Piperaceae) for his Ph.D. studies.
Esteban has worked broadly on the Costa Rican (and Mesomaerican) flora, including broad scale floristics studies, and has also produced a treatment for the genus Aristolochia for Costa Rica during his M.Sc. and the University of Costa Rica. Esteban will be working on the systematics of the genus Peperomia (Piperaceae) for his Ph.D. studies.
Undergraduate Researchers
Research Scholars
Dr. Matias Kohler, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS)
Matias was a short term scholar working in the lab on the phylogenetics and systematics of the southern South American
Opuntia clade. His work has been greatly clarifying relationships and species limits among the South American prickly pears,
and he'll be addressing biogeographic patterns and morphological evolution as it relates to the entire Opuntia clade.
He recently published the first Opuntia plastome. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.00729
Matias was a short term scholar working in the lab on the phylogenetics and systematics of the southern South American
Opuntia clade. His work has been greatly clarifying relationships and species limits among the South American prickly pears,
and he'll be addressing biogeographic patterns and morphological evolution as it relates to the entire Opuntia clade.
He recently published the first Opuntia plastome. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2020.00729
Former Lab Members
Lucas de Freitas Bacci, Ph.D.
Ph.D. (Botany) Universidade Federal do Paraná, 2019.
Lucas worked on the phylogenetics and systematics of the Bertolonieae (Melastomataceae) for his Ph.D. He was instrumental in kicking off our project on the global phylogenomics of Melastomataceae for his post-doctoral work in the Majure Lab from Feb. 2021-Feb. 2023.
Ph.D. (Botany) Universidade Federal do Paraná, 2019.
Lucas worked on the phylogenetics and systematics of the Bertolonieae (Melastomataceae) for his Ph.D. He was instrumental in kicking off our project on the global phylogenomics of Melastomataceae for his post-doctoral work in the Majure Lab from Feb. 2021-Feb. 2023.
Serena I. Achá Macias, Ph.D.
Ph.D. (Biology), University of Missouri, St. Louis, 2019
M.Sc. (Biology), Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La Paz, Bolivia, 2013
Serena worked on the population genetics and species delimitation of Passiflora for her Ph.D. studies. She worked on phylogenomics of Cactaceae and capture-seq locus design for her post doctoral work in the Majure Lab, which was recently published. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13020350
Ph.D. (Biology), University of Missouri, St. Louis, 2019
M.Sc. (Biology), Universidad Mayor de San Andrés, La Paz, Bolivia, 2013
Serena worked on the population genetics and species delimitation of Passiflora for her Ph.D. studies. She worked on phylogenomics of Cactaceae and capture-seq locus design for her post doctoral work in the Majure Lab, which was recently published. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes13020350
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Andre A. Naranjo, Ph.D.
Ph.D. (Botany), University of Florida, 2020 B.S. (Biology), University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, 2015 Andre worked on the phylogenetics, biogeography, endemism, and ecological niches of the Scrub Mint Clade for his Ph.D. studies. He worked on spatial phylogenetics, functional trait diversity, and patterns of endemism in the Massif de la Selle/Sierra de Baohruco on Hispaniola for his post doctoral work in the Majure Lab. |
Bethany Zumwalde, Ph.D. Student, UF
Bethany will be tackling the cytogeography of
the multi-ploidal Cylindropuntia leptocaulis
(Cactaceae) for her Ph.D.
Bethany will be tackling the cytogeography of
the multi-ploidal Cylindropuntia leptocaulis
(Cactaceae) for her Ph.D.
Natalie Heaton, Undergraduate Researcher (Graduated Spring 2022)
Natalie was an undergraduate researcher from the Department of Biology and worked in the lab with Thomas Murphy on Smilax systematics, including helping to describe a new species. She was also a University Scholars Fellowship Program recipient.
Natalie was an undergraduate researcher from the Department of Biology and worked in the lab with Thomas Murphy on Smilax systematics, including helping to describe a new species. She was also a University Scholars Fellowship Program recipient.
Kelly Ho, Undergraduate Researcher (Graduated Spring 2022)
Kelly was an undergraduate researcher in the lab from the Department of Biology and worked on several projects, including bryophyte DNA barcoding and two new species descriptions and illustrations in Cactaceae and Melastomataceae.
Kelly was an undergraduate researcher in the lab from the Department of Biology and worked on several projects, including bryophyte DNA barcoding and two new species descriptions and illustrations in Cactaceae and Melastomataceae.
Raquel García Aponte, Undergraduate Researcher (Graduated Spring 2022)
Raquel was an undergraduate student in the Department of Biology and worked with Bethany Zumwalde on the cytogeographic analysis and characterization of ploidy across populations of Cylindropuntia leptocaulis, including carrying out fieldwork in the southwestern United States. She was awarded a University Scholars Program Fellowship for her work with Bethany on C. leptocaulis.
Raquel was an undergraduate student in the Department of Biology and worked with Bethany Zumwalde on the cytogeographic analysis and characterization of ploidy across populations of Cylindropuntia leptocaulis, including carrying out fieldwork in the southwestern United States. She was awarded a University Scholars Program Fellowship for her work with Bethany on C. leptocaulis.
Allison Blankenship, Undergraduate Researcher (Graduated Spring 2021)
Allison started in the lab in spring 2019 and worked on a number of projects in the lab, including plastid genome annotation in Simaroubaceae and DNA extractions for genome sequencing projects. She worked on the evolutionary and biogeographic history of a phenomenal group of Neotropical Simaroubaceae, the genus Castela, which we published in summer 2021. She was awarded the University Scholars Program Fellowship for her work with Castela.
Allison started in the lab in spring 2019 and worked on a number of projects in the lab, including plastid genome annotation in Simaroubaceae and DNA extractions for genome sequencing projects. She worked on the evolutionary and biogeographic history of a phenomenal group of Neotropical Simaroubaceae, the genus Castela, which we published in summer 2021. She was awarded the University Scholars Program Fellowship for her work with Castela.
Ayress Grinage, M.Sc. Student (Fall 2019-May 2020)
Ayress worked on the systematics of the genus Sabal in the southern United States with a specific focus on the Sabal minor complex for her masters project. She also worked on our campus flora project to enumerate the biodiversity found in our campus natural areas, including vascular and non-vascular plants and macrofungi, as well as other lab projects, including phylogenetics of Castela (Simaroubaceae); published in summer 2021. Ayress was a Bioscience Scholar in the Dept. of Biology at UF. She finished her M.Sc. in spring semester 2020. Ayress is now a Ph.D. student at Cornell University where she is continuing her work on Arecaceae!! We wish her well and know she is bound for great things!!
Ayress worked on the systematics of the genus Sabal in the southern United States with a specific focus on the Sabal minor complex for her masters project. She also worked on our campus flora project to enumerate the biodiversity found in our campus natural areas, including vascular and non-vascular plants and macrofungi, as well as other lab projects, including phylogenetics of Castela (Simaroubaceae); published in summer 2021. Ayress was a Bioscience Scholar in the Dept. of Biology at UF. She finished her M.Sc. in spring semester 2020. Ayress is now a Ph.D. student at Cornell University where she is continuing her work on Arecaceae!! We wish her well and know she is bound for great things!!
Sean Noudali (ASU) was an undergrad intern in the lab
at DBG from fall 2017-spring 2018. He worked on a variety
of projects in the lab, and is now working on his degree in
neuroscience at WSU.
Dr. Peter Breslin worked in the lab at DBG, where he focused
on the biogeography, phylogenetics and population demographics
of hummingbird-pollinated species of Mammillaria (Cactaceae)
in Baja, California, and a large phylogenomic analysis of the Mammiloid clade.
See part of his work recently published in Taxon. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12451
on the biogeography, phylogenetics and population demographics
of hummingbird-pollinated species of Mammillaria (Cactaceae)
in Baja, California, and a large phylogenomic analysis of the Mammiloid clade.
See part of his work recently published in Taxon. https://doi.org/10.1002/tax.12451
Dawn O'Brien was a volunteer in the lab at DBG
from 2014-1015 and helped advance a number of
important projects, including much of the whole plastome
sequencing in Opuntia. She is now working on her medical
degree at the University of Arizona.
from 2014-1015 and helped advance a number of
important projects, including much of the whole plastome
sequencing in Opuntia. She is now working on her medical
degree at the University of Arizona.
Students in Training
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Gabriel Majure specializes in orchids with a special fondness for epiphytic taxa.
Tristan Majure loves to take out invasive species and press plants.
Tristan Majure loves to take out invasive species and press plants.
REMEMBERING
W. Mark Whitten
Ph.D. (Botany), University of Florida, 1985
M.S. (Botany), University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 1979
B.S. (Biology), Thomas More College, 1976
Mark was a man of many talents and the backbone of the herbarium
molecular laboratory. Although he was a specialist in the systematics
of Orchidaceae, he also worked on floristics projects, community
phylogenetics and much, much more.
We lost Dr. Whitten suddenly in mid-April 2019. He will never be
far from our hearts, and we will forever miss him.
Ph.D. (Botany), University of Florida, 1985
M.S. (Botany), University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 1979
B.S. (Biology), Thomas More College, 1976
Mark was a man of many talents and the backbone of the herbarium
molecular laboratory. Although he was a specialist in the systematics
of Orchidaceae, he also worked on floristics projects, community
phylogenetics and much, much more.
We lost Dr. Whitten suddenly in mid-April 2019. He will never be
far from our hearts, and we will forever miss him.
Prospective students and Post-docs should contact lmajure@floridamuseum.ufl.edu for more information.