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Digital CV
Education
Auburn University (August 2021 – Present)
Ph.D. Candidate in Plant Genomics
Advisor: Dr. Alex Harkess, Secondary Affiliation: CoLab at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
The University of Georgia (Aug 2018 – May 2021)
B.Sc. Plant Biology, Track: Bioinformatics & Biotechnology
Summa Cum Laude
Research Experience
NSF Graduate Research Fellow, Harkess Lab (Aug 2021 – Present)
Focus: Genome assembly, repetitive DNA, and sex chromosome biology
Advisors: Dr. Alex Harkess, Dr. Sarah Carey
BioTrain Intern, Harkess Lab (June – July 2021)
Focus: Nodulation-related gene family expansion and sex chromosome biology in Myricaceae
Advisor: Dr. Sarah Carey
CURO Independent Undergraduate Research (Jan 2019 – May 2020)
Focus: Harvesting laws and practices for threatened medicinal plants on public and private lands in the Southeast
Advisor: Dr. James Affolter
AWARDS
National Science Foundation, April 2022
Graduate Research Fellow Award
The Society of Systematic Biologists, November 2021
Mini-ARTS Award
PUBLICATIONs
2024 Carey, S. B., Bentz, P. C., Lovell, J. T., Akozbek, L. M., Havill, J. S., Padgitt-Cobb, L., Lynch, R. C., Allsing, N., Osmanski, A., Easterling, K. A., Orozco, L. R., Hale, H., McCoy, H., Meharg, Z., McKay, J., Grimwood, J., Vergara, D., Guerrero, R. F., Kane, N. C., Michael, T. P., … Harkess, A. (2024). The evolution of heteromorphic sex chromosomes in plants. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.12.09.627636
2024 Carey, S. B., Aközbek, L., Lovell, J. T., Jenkins, J., Healey, A. L., Shu, S., … & Harkess, A. (2024). ZW sex chromosome structure in Amborella trichopoda. Nature Plants, 1-11.
2022 Carey, S. B., Aközbek, L., & Harkess, A. (2022). The contributions of Nettie Stevens to the field of sex chromosome biology. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 377(1850), 20210215.
PRESENTATIONS
2024 International Oak Symposium (Poster)
A Phased, Chromosome-scale Genome Assembly for Southern Live Oak, Quercus virginiana
International Plant and Animal Genome Conference
- 2024 (Talk, Workshop: Plant Reproductive Genomics) – The sex chromosomes of Morella cerifera and the evolution of sexual systems in the dioecious species of Myricaceae
- 2023 (Poster) – The Morella cerifera genome and sex-determining regions in the dioecious species of Myricaceae
CROPS Conference (Poster)
- 2024 (Poster) – The sex chromosomes of Morella cerifera and the evolution of sexual systems in the dioecious species of Myricaceae
- 2022 (Poster) – The conservation of sexual systems and sex-determining regions (SDRs) in the dioecious species of Myricaceae
HudsonAlpha Research Core (Talks)
- 2024 – Building & characterizing the Live Oak genome
- 2023 – The Morella cerifera genome & the intricacies of sex-chromosome assembly
- 2022 – The Evolution of Sex Chromosomes in Myricaceae
2023 Oakwood Biochemistry Seminar (Talk, Invited Speaker)
The ecology of the genome: jumping genes and their impact on recombination
2022 UGA Plant Center Retreat (Poster)
The Morella cerifera genome and characterization of its sex chromosomes
BOTANY 2022 Conference Lightning Talk
The conservation of sexual systems and sex-determining regions (SDRs) in the dioecious species of Myricaceae
2022 North American Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation Conference (Poster)
The presence and absence of core legume nodulation genes in the nodulating non-legumes of the genus Morella
2021 BioTrain Internship (Talk & Poster)
Morella as a model system for studying the evolution of non-leguminous nitrogen fixation and other valuable traits
BOTANY 2021 Recent Topics Section (Poster)
Morella as a model system for studying the evolution of non-leguminous nitrogen fixation and other valuable traits
2020 CURO [Virtual] Undergraduate Symposium (Poster)
Harvesting Laws and Practices for Threatened Medicinal Plants on Public and Private Lands in the Southeast
2020 Southeastern Partners in Plant Conservation (SePPCon) (Talk)
The Ethical Forager: A Review of Regulation & Best Practices for the Wild-Harvest of Medicinal Plants in the Southeast view at https://vimeo.com/409966598
2020 Native Plant Symposium, University of Georgia State Botanical Garden (Talk)
Learning from Wild-Harvesters within the Botanical Drug Trade, their Lives and Best Practices
Outreach & Mentorship
Mentees:
Caroline Bendickson (Undergraduate, UAH)
- 2022 BioTrain Internship Program
- Poster: Using Angiosperms353 Bait Capture to Rebuild the Trillium genus Phylogeny
- Fall 2024 & Spring 2025 CoLab Intern
- Research Focus: Utilizing and improving OrthoScout to conduct comparative analyses of floral genes in diverse dioecious species
Classes, Workshops, & Presentations:
GTAC: Ecosystem Genetics, July 2024
The wild world of wax myrtles: reproduction & floral development in a non-model, non-crop species
HudsonAlpha Spring Benefit, April 2024
“Seeds of Tomorrow” Program (Speaker)
HudsonAlpha Teacher Externship, August 2022
Presentation & demonstration of high-molecular weight DNA extraction
LifeScience Links, July 2022 at HudsonAlpha (Middle School Educators)
An Intro Genomic Research via Sex Chromosome Biology
GTAC: Ecosystem Genetics, July 2022 at HudsonAlpha (High School Educators)
The Puzzle of Plants: Genomic Research in Context
Interim Week at the Randolph School, March 2022
How to discover a symbiosis: a brief history of plant partnerships & how we study them
Volunteer Work:
Land Trust of North Alabama
Educational outreach & general volunteer work
Learning by Leading Program 2020, State Botanical Garden of Georgia
Student Member of ArchGIS Team
Science Communication:
Alabama Nature Journal Club, President
Focus: Field Journaling & Citizen Science
- Primary Instructor:
- November 2024 – “Nature Journaling in the Fall: Exploring Seeds and Nuts”, Host: Huntsville
- May 2024 – “An Introduction to Nature Journaling: Spring Flowers”, Host: Huntsville Botanical Garden
- March 2024 – “Drawing Birds in the Field”, Host: Oakville Indian Mounds Park& Museum
- October 2023 – Building an Autumn Nature Journal: A Workshop in Watercolor & Ink, Host: Land Trust of North Alabama
Herban Myths & Medicine, Co-host
Educational Podcast on Phytochemistry & Ethnobotany