Graduate Student Email: rjl39747@uga.edu Lab: Leebens-Mack Lab & Williams Lab | Miller Plant Sciences Research Research Areas: Ecology & Global Change Evolutionary Biology Research Interests: My research focuses on the ecology and population genetics of bamboos, including their enigmatic flowering cycles. I previously studied evolutionary relationships in the highly introgressed Japanese bamboo genus Pleioblastus. My current work examines the four North American cane species, including clonal structure and extent, interactions among neighboring clones, the role of somatic mutation in clonal success, and the true limits of species ranges. Education Education: Admission to University of Georgia via the Integrated Plant Sciences (IPS) Doctoral Program, Fall 2024 M.S. in Biology, Jacksonville State University, 2022 B. S. in Cellular and Molecular Biology, Jacksonville State University, 2020