I am currently a PhD candidate at the Capitulab at Clemson University. I am using the dioecious plant Baccharis halimifolia as a model to understand genetic sex-determination and dioecy evolution in a highly complex and diverse family such as the Asteraceae. The sunflower family (Asteraceae) is the largest angiosperm family (~25,000). Its success and radiation can be account to certain unique family traits. One of these, the specialized capitulum, represents the possibility of almost any sex system combination possible within inflorescences or individuals in each species. This is hypothesized to be the basis of the diverse Asteraceae sex systems, including hermaphroditism, monoecy, dioecy, gynomonoecy, gynodioecy, andromonoecy, and androdioecy. Dioecy has been seen to be genetically determined, meaning that plants that display dioecy usually carry sex chromosomes. These species present an unique opportunity to understand sex chromosome evolution because many angiosperms have systems that have evolved more recently (compared to well-known animal systems), they allow to better understand chromosome evolution and its early stages.

​We are currently working with the HudsonAlpha Biotechnology Institute to sequence and assembly the Baccharis halimifolia genome and identify the SDR (sex-determining region). We are also working on a B. halimifolia floret developmetal series, which paired with RNA sequencing data will help us better understand the specific genes that might be within the SDR and their timing and location of expression during inflorecence development.