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The Bartlett Lab

People

Principal Investigator

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Madelaine Bartlett
Associate Professor, Biology Department, UMass Amherst
Director, UMass Natural History Collections


email: mbartlett[at]umass.edu
phone: 413.545.2235

My lab is focused on figuring out the genetics underlying the evolution of plant development. I am particularly intrigued by floral development, and the evolution of the genes and gene networks that underly floral morphology.

Lab Manager

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 Comfort Bonney Arku
Lab Manager

email: cbonneyarku[at]umass.edu 
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I received a BSc (2003) and an MPhil (2006) in Botany from the University of Ghana, Legon. Following my masters, I worked for many years at the University of Ghana’s Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) as a Research Assistant. In the US, I trained and worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant. In a quest to return to grad school, I’m currently working as a Lab Manager and gaining hands-on experience in plant genetics and molecular biology. I’m considering a PhD in genetics and molecular biology.


Postdoctoral Researcher

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Joseph Gallagher
Postdoc
​USDA NIFA postdoctoral fellow


email: jpg[at]umass.edu 
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One of my principal research goals is to integrate genetic, genomic, and molecular biology tools to increase our understanding of plant evolution and development. I completed my PhD at Iowa State University in Dr. Jonathan Wendel’s lab working on the evolution of duplicated gene networks in polyploid cotton. In the Bartlett lab, I study the evolution, regulation, and function of CLAVATA-network and GT1-like genes in the angiosperms.

Graduate Students

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Amber De Neve
PhD Student

email: adeneve[at]umass.edu 

I'm interested in the genetic pathways underlying plant form and function. Plants are amazing at adapting their growth to their environments, and sometimes this means being flexible with the sexuality of their flowers. Trillium grandiflorium, for example, grows wild in Amherst and has size-dependent floral sexual specification. Interestingly, many mutations in maize also cause changes to both plant architecture and floral sexuality. I'm currently using mutants and evolutionary analysis to see how these two aspects are related in the grass family.


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Thomas Harrington 
​PhD Student

email: taharrington[at]umass.edu 
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​My research is focused on examining the evolution of plant development, with a specific focus on genomic architecture. Plant morphology  is diverse across species, but is controlled by conserved genes and regulatory networks. However, the extent to which cis-regulatory elements have been conserved across evolutionary time remains unclear. My recent work in the Bartlett lab has been focused on dissecting the function of cis-regulatory elements in Brachypodium distachyon. Understanding the genetic networks underlying plant development would overcome a barrier towards applying genome editing in crop domestication and agricultural improvement.

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Erin Patterson
PhD Student

email: elpatterson[at]umass.edu 

​I’m interested in exploring the evolution of development in plants. As Dobzhansky said, “nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution”, and this holds true for development. I’m currently studying a mutation in an unidentified gene in Brachypodium distachyon that results in highly pleiotropic phenotypic changes. This system will allow us to examine the mechanisms by which a single gene is able to affect multiple developmental processes.

Undergraduate Students

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Isabella Higgins

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Terice Kelly

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Isabella Rozza

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Karen Huang​

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Benedikt Nuesslein

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Noel Taylor


High School Interns

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Amanda Dee


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Maya Evans


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Abigail Meunier

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Ella Strzegowski


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Kirsten Szala-Krotkov



Lab Alumni

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María Jazmín
Abraham Juárez

Postdoc

Current Position:
Assistant Professor
Langebio, Mexico


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Pubudu Handakumbura
Postdoc

Current Position: 
Staff Scientist 
Pacific Northwest National Laboratories

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Jamie Kostyun
Postdoc

​

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Amanda Schrager Lavelle
Postdoc

Current Position:
Assistant Professor
​Colorado Mesa University







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Robert Del Gizzi
MSc Student

Current Position: 
Conagen Inc. 

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Harry Klein
PhD Student

Current Position:
Scientist
​Dana Farber 







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Jarrett Man
PhD Student

Current Position: 
Senior Scientist
Galy



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Thompson Zhang
MSc Student

Current Position: 
Xenobiotic Laboratories




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Diego Arroyo
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Undergraduate

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Mackenzie Barber
Undergraduate
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Current Position: 
Anokion

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Jessica Brass
​Undergraduate

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Callan Carr​

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Adriana Chiaramida

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Rebecca Goldberg​Undergraduate

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Jeffrey Heithmar
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Undergraduate

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Tiffany Ma​Undergraduate

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Jennifer Pereira Badji​​Undergraduate

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Morgan Powell
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Undergraduate

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Julianna Rushdi
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Undergraduate

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Maya Watanabe​​Undergraduate

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Ryan Desrochers
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Undergraduate

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Michelle Heeney
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Undergraduate

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Chloe Li
​​​
Undergraduate

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Mondonna Mojahed​Undergraduate

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Grace Pisano
Undergraduate

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Jamie Richards
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Undergraduate

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Katie Tumang
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Undergraduate

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Kevin White
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Undergraduate


Interested in joining the lab?

If you're interesting in joining the lab as a grad student, consider applying through the plant biology, molecular and cellular biology, or organismal and evolutionary biology graduate programs at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. If you're a postdoc or an undergraduate wanting to work in the Bartlett lab, please get in touch via email.

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The Bartlett Lab: Plant Developmental Evolution 
The University of Massachusetts Amherst
  • HOME
  • RESEARCH
  • PEOPLE
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  • JUSTICE, EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION
  • CONTACT
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