Michelle Zavala-Paez

🌿 Postdoc opportunity in plant evolutionary ecology/genetics!

My lab in the Dept. of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at the University of Michigan is recruiting a postdoctoral researcher to start Fall 2026.

We study plant adaptation, using weeds as model systems.

#Postdoc #EcoEvo

Pls RT!

Conceptual model of the expected role of dryland mechanisms along a climatic gradient from cool and moist towards hot and dry conditions, and their relevance for climate-smart forestry.

Ecophysiology for climate-smart forest management

#TansleyReview by Gessler et al. @wslresearch.bsky.social @arthurobuntspecht.bsky.social @annekempel.bsky.social @josegruenzweig.bsky.social

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

#plantscience

Genomic approaches to accelerate American chestnut restoration More than a century after two introduced pathogens killed billions of American chestnut trees, introgression of resistance alleles from Chinese chestnuts has contributed to the recovery of self-sustai...

Out in @science.org this week, multifaceted genomics approaches to accelerate American chestnut restoration www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

And an accompanying Perspective article here:
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

#genomics
#plantscience
#forestry

A figure depicting continental drift from when Gondwana existed to present day, with continents and countries colored according to the ratite species that occur or occurred on them. Next to that is a cartoon of a phylogeny that we would expect support for if continental drift explained patterns of species occurrence and relatedness. And next to that is a cartoon of the phylogeny supported by the genetic data presented in this paper, which demonstrates that closely related species must have traveled great distances after Gondwana broke up, after which flightlessness evolved, and that this happened more than once.

This paper is a great for teaching phylogenetic trees.

"Ancient DNA reveals elephant birds and kiwi are sister taxa and clarifies ratite bird evolution"

Clearly written. It discusses hypotheses of relatedness among species via continental drift vs genetic data. 🧪

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Graphical description of model parameters for an exponential (a, b) and sigmoidal (c) response model of gs

Revisiting the relationship between stomatal size and speed across species – a meta-analysis

Nik Woning, et al.

nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

#PlantScience

Genomic insights into the origin of ecotypes A century after Turesson introduced ecotypes as locally adapted subunits of species, their origins and nature remain debated. Recent advances in molecular ecology have breathed new life into the ecoty...

Nice new review on my favorite topic. www.cell.com/trends/ecolo...

Congratulations to @alaynamead.bsky.social and the entire #PopUpPoplars team for this collaborative effort predicting genotypic responses across environments. This research uses 17 replicated ‘mini gardens’ to predict role of mixed ancestry to growth, survival, and expansion to novel environments

The role of cytonuclear interactions to plant adaptation across a Populus hybrid zone | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences Co-adaptation of cytoplasmic and nuclear genomes is critical to physiological function for many species. Despite this understanding, hybridization can disrupt co-adaptation, leading to a mismatch betw...

New paper out!
Thrilled to share our latest work on cytonuclear interactions in Populus hybrid zones, now published in Proceedings B.
We show how mismatches between nuclear and chloroplast genomes influence key physiological traits in tree species @jillahamilton.bsky.social

doi.org/10.1098/rspb...

Always learning, always sharing, how trees adapt today, and how they’ll keep adapting as our world changes. Thanks #EVOLTREE for the opportunity to be part of such an amazing conference

Just published! 🌿
Our new study uncovers how hybridization and climate selection interact to shape stomatal trait evolution across six Populus contact zones. @jillahamilton.bsky.social

If you’re curious about how hybridization influence adaptive trait variation, take a look doi.org/10.1111/nph....

Very much a #proudPI moment when your PhD students @michellezavala.bsky.social and @krlopicc.bsky.social give such lovely presentations of their research. So glad to have the opportunity to join the #EvolTREE meeting and share our ongoing research and learn from diverse systems across Europe.

Research Associate-Fixed Term - East Lansing, Michigan, United States Position Summary The Lowry Lab at Michigan State University is searching for a postdoctoral research associate to conduct molecular and physiological experiments to understand the causes of genetic va...

I am currently searching for a new postdoctoral researcher to study the evolution, genetics, and physiology of cold acclimation and freezing tolerance in switchgrass at Michigan State University. This work will be funded by a newly funded five-year DOE grant. careers.msu.edu/jobs/researc...

Sampling and common garden design.

Climate and hybridization shape #stomatal trait evolution in #Populus

📖 nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
by Zavala-Paez et al.

@WileyPlantSci @michellezavala.bsky.social @jillahamilton.bsky.social

I am looking to hire a postdoc interested in combining genetics and evolution to understand why telomeres vary so much in plants. My group has been developing Mimulus a genetic model for studying plant telomeres and we have really cool research brewing. Please check ad for detail. Deadline is 12/31.

It is official! DR. @michellezavala.bsky.social defended a very impressive dissertation today!! With friends, family, stomata cookies, and Ecuadorian Guinea pigs cheering her along! We understand so much more about the consequences of hybridization to the evolution of physiological traits!! #proudPI

Hamilton Lab members are excited for the upcoming #EvolTREE meeting! Kyra will present our genetic conservation program in black ash , Michelle will discuss climate, hybridization, and stomatal evolution (tinyurl.com/y5rwu8eu), and I will discuss genomics-driven monitoring. Hope to see you there!!

Our department at UBC is hiring for a professor of forest ecophysiology, including "tree ecophysiology; plant abiotic or biotic stress physiology; forest mortality and climate change responses; forest carbon balance; tree water relations; or nutrient use." Learn more at: tinyurl.com/5da56f5c

🚨 1 Week Left to Apply! 🚨
The Krieg Lab is hiring a Research Professional in Plant Ecophysiology & Evolution.

📅 Deadline: October 1, 2025
📧 Sending materials (Cover Letter, CV, References) to: kriegc[at]wfu.edu

First (annual?) Hamilton lab off-grid camping trip to Bald Eagle State Forest. Good company, scenery, s’mores and so much more. Food for the soul!! I’m a very #luckyPI to work with this amazing group!

Atlanta Botanical Garden Inc - Research Scientist, Genetics The Atlanta Botanical Garden seeks a highly qualified scientist with training in plant population genetics to serve in the role of Research Scientist in Genetics within the Southeastern Center for Con...

We are recruiting a Research Scientist in Genetics trained in plant population genetics to run the Conservation Genetics Research Program! This is an incredible opportunity to work on a diverse and active team in a biodiversity hotspot!!! recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/J...

ecoevojobs.net 2025-26

The 2025-26 Eco-Evo job list is out. Good luck to those applying!

docs.google.com/spreadsheets...

Careers At Butler Careers Welcome

We're hiring TWO (two!) tenure-track assistant professors in my Biology department: cellular/molecular biology and plant biology. Within those categories, we are very open to research focus. Come work with me! And please spread the word! fa-exer-saasfaprod1.fa.ocs.oraclecloud.com/hcmUI/Candid...

The genomic basis of local adaptation in the white x Engelmann spruce hybrid zone https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.08.08.669264v1

Sloan Lab Welcome! Our research focuses on the evolutionary process at the molecular level. In particular, we investigate how a mixture of natural selection and non-adaptive forces create and maintain the amazi...

Please share! Our lab is recruiting a PhD student to join us starting fall 2026. Our group is broadly interested in plant molecular evolution and comparative genomics. More info about our lab and grad programs at Colorado St. is available on our lab website.

sites.google.com/site/danielb...

Please RT!

I'm hiring a postdoc to work in my new lab at UCSB (!) on an NSF-funded project investigating the phenotypic consequences of WGD for photosynthesis and respiration.

Check out the full posting here:
recruit.ap.ucsb.edu/JPF02986

And more info about the lab here:
sharbroughlab.com

Rapid polygenic adaptation in a wild population of ash trees under a novel fungal epidemic Rapid evolution through small shifts in allele frequencies at thousands of loci is a long-standing neo-Darwinian prediction but is hard to characterize in the wild. European ash tree (Fraxinus excelsi...

Just out in Science: we demonstrate a micro-evolutionary shift in a single generation, involving thousands of genomic loci, giving younger ash trees more resistance to ash dieback, on average, than their parents
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adp2990

Huck announces 2025-26 Leadership Fellows | Penn State University Faculty members Jill Hamilton, Wenrui Hao and Gustavo Nader have been named the 2025-26 Huck Leadership Fellows. As fellows, they will take part in a yearlong, high-level professional development prog...

Honored to be appointed a Penn State Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences Leadership Fellow position. I am deeply grateful and thrilled to provide creativity and leadership within interdisciplinary spaces, emphasizing graduate training and evolutionary biology. www.psu.edu/news/faculty...

It begins!! Welcome to #forestgenetics2025 - where all the cool kids are hanging! #trees4everyone @michellezavala.bsky.social @diegodelorbe.bsky.social @krlopicc.bsky.social

Getting ready to go!! Beautiful center pieces courtesy of our PSU graduate students, @michellezavala.bsky.social and @krlopicc.bsky.social at #forestgenetics2025 How well do you know your trees? We’ll find out!! Counting down to welcome all to the Happy Valley!! forestgeneticsconference2025.com

One week to go!!! So excited to host our colleagues next week in the Happy Valley of Pennsylvania! Over 150 registrants from around the world!! If you’re interested in coming but unable to join in person - email me to learn about virtual options forestgeneticsconference2025.com #forestgenetics2025