Morton Arboretum Center for Tree Science Fellowship
Cynthia Webster, Karl C. Fetter, Carolina Jara, Adam Glendinning, Stefan Wnuk, Nicole Pauloski, Aziz Ebrahimi, Carolyn Pike, Anna Conrad, Jill Wegrzyn: "Advancing Genomic Research and Conservation Efforts Through De Novo Pangenome Construction: A Case Study on Juglans Species Threatened by a Non-Native Fungal Pathogen" (2024-2025)
Specific Objectives:
- Select Japanese walnut, butternut and buartnut individuals from the tails of the disease resistance trait distributions for whole genome sequencing
- Construct a de novo pangenome assembly with sequenced Juglans accessions and conduct a presence-absence variant-based association analysis
NSF Graduate Research Fellowship
Airianna McGuire: "Investigation of climate adaptation of an Arctic salmonid (Thymallus arcticus) using a pangenome to assess structural variants that may underlie adaptation" (2025-2028)
Cynthia Webster: "Advancing Genomic Research and Conservation Efforts Through De Novo Pangenome Construction: A Case Study on Juglans Species Threatened by a Non-Native Fungal Pathogen" (2024-2027)
NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB)
Michelle Neitzey: "Adapting to climate adversity: conservation genomics assessments for the future of American beech" (2025-2028)
AFRI Competitive Grant
Karl Fetter, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology: "A Conservation Genomics Program to Identify Climate Adapted Genes in the Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) - USDA/NIFA (2023-2025)
ACCESSION NO: 1030624
UCONN CLAS Strategic Plan
Jill Wegrzyn, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Rachel O’Neill, Molecular and Cell Biology; Anne Bucklin, Marine Sciences: “Conservation and BioDiversity Genomics in a Changing Climate” - Academic Theme: The Earth and Its Future (2022-2023)
UCONN Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Awards
2026
Emily Lesinski
Project Title: Characterizing the molecular mechanisms of resistance to an invasive fungal pathogen in white pines
Cynthia Webster
Project Title: Genomic Resources for Conservation of a North American Walnut Threatened by a Non-Native Fungal Pathogen
2025
Cynthia Webster
Project Title: Advancing Genomic Research and Conservation Efforts for a North American Walnut Threatened by a Non-Native Fungal Pathogen
2024
Vidya Vuruputoor
Project Title: Elucidating genomic mechanisms of hemlock woolly adelgid resistance through transcriptome profiling
UCONN Ecology and Evolutionary Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship
Cristopher Guzman
Project Title: Preserving a Threatened Walnut Tree through Genomics: Comprehensive Sequencing, Assembly, Annotation and Comparative Genomics
SURF Awards
2026
Avery DeSilva
Project Title: Magnolia: a super-pangenome of one of the oldest lineages of flowering plants
Jenna Kent
Project Title: Investigating the polyploidy of an Arctic Willow
2025
Andrew Deierlein
Project Title: Housewarming Gifts - Candidatus Endoriftia persephone & the Type I Secretion System
Alan Rodger
Project Title: Investigating the genetic basis for traits associated with hybridization and geographic expansion in Canis latrans
2024
Anthony He
Project Title: Assembly and Annotation of a Chromosome‐Scale Reference Genome for the Golden Conure
Keertana Chagari
Project Title: Reproducible Bioinformatic Workflows to Produce Diploid Phased Eukaryotic Genome Assemblies
2023
Cristopher Guzman
Project Title: Genomic Examination of Juglans ailantifolia for the Continuation of Juglans cinerea Conservation against OCJ/SCJ Disease
Harshita Akella
Project Title: The first genome reference for the tropical legume, Inga vera, and comparative analysis of genes involved in nitrogen fixation among the Fabaceae
Emily Trybulec
Project Title: Automation of de novo genome assembly and comparative genomics using bioinformatic workflows
2022
Emily Strickland
Project Title: Emerald Ash Borer (Agrilus planipennis) Resistance in Pumpkin Ash (Fraxinus profunda)
Sargent Award
Vidya Vuruputoor: "The first reference genome of Tsuga canadensis and assessing transcriptomes across hemlock species to assess the molecular mechanisms underlying genetic defense to stressors." (2024)
Ronald Bamford Grant
Vidya Vuruputoor: "Assessing transcriptomes across hemlock species to assess the molecular mechanisms underlying genetic defense to stressors." (2022)
New England Botanical Society Award
Vidya Vuruputoor: "Assessing transcriptomes across hemlock species to assess the molecular mechanisms underlying genetic defense to stressors." (2024)
Rednalis Award
Vidya Vuruputoor: "Assessing transcriptomes across hemlock species to assess the molecular mechanisms underlying genetic defense to stressors." (2024)