We’re thrilled to congratulate former Hopkins Lab member Dr. Anna Feller on receiving the 2025 Marie Heim-Vögtlin Prize from the Swiss National Science Foundation – an award that recognizes exceptional women researchers whose careers have been elevated by SNSF support. Anna’s award-winning research focuses on understanding how closely related plant species maintain reproductive barriers which […]
Graduate student Grace Burgin and Hopkins lab undergraduate researcher Nia Lewis identify Phlox drummondii Pistil Identity Receptor Kinase (PdPIRK) as the gene responsible for self-pollen recognition in Phlox, revealing a novel self-incompatibility mechanism. The findings highlight striking parallels with the Brassicaceae SI system, suggesting conserved evolutionary pathways in the molecular evolution of self-recognition. Full reading […]
This study by Hopkins lab graduate student Christina Steinecke examines how three closely related Texas Phlox species and their hybrids respond to water limitation, revealing that drought-induced trait plasticity varies independently from environmental niche breadth. The findings suggest that phenotypic plasticity and ecological niche expansion may evolve through distinct evolutionary pathways. You can find the […]
Graduate student Grace Burgin and Prof. Hopkins dissect the variation in self-incompatibility within Phlox drummondii as it arises from a polygenic genetic architecture, with multiple genomic regions – including a newly mapped S-locus which contributes to the transition toward self-compatibility. The findings highlight diverse genetic pathways through which mating system evolution can occur in flowering plants. […]
Harvard biologist Robin Hopkins has unlocked the secrets of phlox, a wildflower whose vibrant colors hold the key to understanding plant evolution. Her research not only breaks new ground in genetics but also reshapes how we think about species formation. Read more about it here
Hopkins Lab postdoc Patrick McKenzie, may have stumbled upon a long-lost species while using the iNaturalist app late one night. Intrigued by a mysterious plant specimen found in the forests of Durango, Mexico, McKenzie believes it could be Monarda mexicana, a species not documented since 1952. His findings could add a crucial piece to the […]
Andrea is starting this fall as a tenure-track assistant professor of plant biology at James Madison University. There she will continue her work on studying the evolution of red floral color and the genetic architecture of reproductive isolation in Silene.
Discover the fascinating work of the scientists at Harvard University’s Hopkins Lab, as they investigate the formation of new species and delve into the secrets of Phlox flowers. Through a meticulous examination of the Phlox life cycle, they uncover the evolutionary mechanisms that maintain species separation and contribute to the incredible diversity of life on […]
