Hamilton Lab
Plant Evolutionary and Ecological Genetics

Jill Hamilton, jvh6349<@>psu.edu 
Associate Professor
Director, Schatz Center for Tree Molecular Genetics, and
Ibberson Chair in Silviculture Research,
Department of Ecosystem Science and Management,
Pennsylvania State University
Download my CV (as a PDF)
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Postdoctoral Scholars
Dr. Alayna Mead 
Alayna completed her PhD at UCLA working to understand the genomic basis of climate adaptation and stress responses across California oak species and populations. She is excited to join the Hamilton lab as an NSF-PRFB in plant genomics and will be using climate, trait, and whole-genome resequencing data to understand the genomic basis of drought tolerance in Populus, and evaluate which populations may be pre-adapted to future climates. She also enjoys reading, hiking, camping, and trying to identify plants.

Graduate Students
Michelle Zavala Páez (PhD)
Michelle received her Bachelor's degree in Biology at the Universidad Central del Ecuador, then moved to Brazil to complete her MS in Ecology and Conservation at Federal University of Parana, where she worked in evolutionary and comparative genomics. Now she is joining the Hamilton lab and is excited to learn about ecology and landscape genomics as part of the Poplar project. When she is not in the lab she enjoys reading, camping and trekking. 

Kyra LoPiccolo (PhD)
Kyra completed her Bachelor's degree in Biotechnology at SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry. While there, she fell in love with forest restoration while working with the American Chestnut Project. Kyra is a first year PhD student in the Plant Biology program rotating through the Hamilton Lab. She is contributing to research on ex situ conservation collections and establishment of genecology trials to understand genotype-phenotype-environment interactions. Outside of the lab, Kyra can be found hiking, reading, and baking.

Diego del Orbe (PhD - rotating starting Fall 2024)
Diego received a Bachelor's degree in Biotechnology from the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic where he worked with population genetics of pine trees in the Dominican Republic. He then moved to Spain for a MS and worked on metabolomics in Holm oak germination. He is starting in the Plant Biology PhD program, excited to learn more about trees and population genomics. Outside of the lab he likes making short films with friends, photography, and cooking.

Olivia Degreenia (PhD - rotating starting Fall 2024)
Olivia received her Bachelor's degree in Biological Sciences at Louisiana State University where she studied floral morphometrics of a neotropical obligate mutualism. She is a first year PhD student in the Plant Biology program rotating in the Hamilton Lab. During her time at LSU, she grew a deep love of botany, specifically when it comes to conservation and conifers. In her free time, she likes cooking, kayaking, and tending to house plants.

Lab Managers

Alex Moen
Alex completed his Bachelor's degree in Genetics at UW Madison where he studied gravitropism in Arabidopsis roots. After graduating, he worked in the biotechnology industry in the Bay area. Now he is joining the Hamilton Lab as a Lab Manager. Outside of work, he likes to hike, explore new areas, and make music.

Undergraduate researchers
​Lucy Anderson
Lucy is a first year student at Penn State. She is a Millennium Scholar and is majoring in biology with a concentration in Plant Sciences. She joined the Schatz Center to pursue her interests in genetics and plant conservation. She is excited to start her science career and learn important lab skills. In her free time, Lucy likes to ski, hike, and cook. 

Alden Stone
Alden is a second-year student at Penn State majoring in Forest Management with a minor in Arboriculture. Alden discovered his love of trees during his work as a professional arborist in Harrisburg, PA. For this reason, he was recruited to the Schatz Center to help collect hard-to-reach samples. In his free time, Alden enjoys hiking with his dog Liberty, rock climbing, and he enjoys illustrating trees and other wood plants.

Jacob Mazza
Jacob is currently a third year student at Penn State majoring in Forest Management. He has joined the Schatz Center to further his understanding of forest genetics, while also gaining valuable lab experience. Jacob likes to spend his free time hiking with friends, reading, and watching movies.

Ian Clancy-Mallue
Ian is an undergraduate biotechnology major at Salisbury University with focuses in plant genetics and conserving biodiversity in a world of growing industrial and technological advances. His current research project consists of observing micro-climate effects on Willow Oaks based on their location to nearby buildings on the Salisbury University Campus. He is excited to join the PopUpPoplar team to learn and grow his passion for biology.

​Lab Pets
Maya is a German Shepherd mix and loves anything that involves going out into the field.  Her favorite past times are playing with snow, leaves, grass and chasing squirrels up trees.

Quill is a German Shepherd mix that also loves helping out in the field. When he's not torturing his older sister, he loves long walks and exploring by canoe.
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Lab Alumni
Graduate students and Post-docs
Anthony Melton (Post-doctoral Fellow)
- Assistant Professor, University of Montevallo
Constance Bolte (Post-doctoral Fellow)
- AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow - NSF
Melissa Lehrer (Research Scholar and Lab Manager)
- Assistant Teaching Professor, University of Pittsburgh
Santosh Rana Magar (Post-doctoral Fellow)
- Research Assistant, Arkansas State University
Lionel Di Santo (PhD)
- Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Basel 
Joseph Braasch (Post-doctoral Fellow)
- Postdoctoral Scholar, Rutgers University - Camden
Pamela Puppo (Post-doctoral Fellow)
​- Assistant Professor, Marshall University
Jessica Lindstrom (MSc) 
​- Contract Biologist in Reproductive Systems, Bayer, St. Louis, Missouri
Kate Volk (MSc)
- Restoration Ecologist, Prairie Restorations, Inc, Fargo, ND
Zebadiah Yoko (MSc)
​- Conservation Science Communicator, Missouri River Bird Observatory

Undergraduate students
Dane Beller (Undergraduate Research Assistant)
Amber Truesdale (Undergraduate Research Assistant)
Jordan Basalyga (Undergraduate Research Assistant)
Sarah Meisner (Research Technician)
Maureen Mailander (Research Technician)
Nadia Garzione (Research Technician)
Briana Sutara (Undergraduate Research Assistant)
Bridget Reheard (Undergraduate Research Assistant)​
CJ Hicks (Undergradate Research Assistant)
​Alex Hass (Undergraduate Research Assistant)
​- Research Technician, Aldevron, Fargo, ND
David Hainlen (Undergraduate Research Assistant)
- MSc student, University of Minnesota-Duluth
Merecedes Hoffner (Undergraduate Assistant)
- 3rd year Bioinformatics major
Alexis Pearson (Undergraduate Research Assistant) 
- Teacher, Bemidji, MN
Zoe Portlas (Undergraduate Research Assistant) 
- PhD student, University of Vermont
Marissa Spear (Undergraduate Research Assistant)
- MSc student, University of Minnesota-Duluth
Nicholas Hugo (Research Assistant)
Stephen Johnson (Undergraduate Research Assistant)
Storm Nies (Research Assistant)
- KLJ Engineering and Planning Services
Zach Tarble (Undergraduate Research Assistant)
- Restoration Specialist, Prairie Restorations, Inc.
Monica Polgar (Undergraduate Research Assistant)
- MSc student, North Dakota State University