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 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 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 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
Isabella Higgins
Terice Kelly
Isabella Rozza
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Karen Huang
Benedikt Nuesslein
Noel Taylor
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High School Interns
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
María Jazmín
Abraham Juárez Postdoc Current Position: Assistant Professor Langebio, Mexico |
Pubudu Handakumbura
Postdoc Current Position: Staff Scientist Pacific Northwest National Laboratories |
Jamie Kostyun
Postdoc |
Amanda Schrager Lavelle
Postdoc Current Position: Assistant Professor Colorado Mesa University |
Robert Del Gizzi
MSc Student Current Position: Conagen Inc. |
Harry Klein
PhD Student Current Position: Scientist Dana Farber |
Jarrett Man
PhD Student Current Position: Senior Scientist Galy |
Thompson Zhang
MSc Student Current Position: Xenobiotic Laboratories |
Diego Arroyo
Undergraduate |
Mackenzie Barber
Undergraduate Current Position: Anokion |
Jessica Brass
Undergraduate |
Callan Carr
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Adriana Chiaramida
Rebecca GoldbergUndergraduate
Jeffrey Heithmar
Undergraduate 
Tiffany MaUndergraduate
Jennifer Pereira BadjiUndergraduate
Morgan Powell
Undergraduate 
Julianna Rushdi
Undergraduate 
Maya WatanabeUndergraduate
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Ryan Desrochers
Undergraduate 
Michelle Heeney
Undergraduate 
Chloe Li
Undergraduate 
Mondonna MojahedUndergraduate
Grace Pisano
Undergraduate 
Jamie Richards
Undergraduate 
Katie Tumang
Undergraduate 
Kevin White
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.