Profile
Norman Wickett
Biological Sciences
Professor
Jordan Hall 118 [Research Laboratory Service]
Jordan Hall 118A [Lab]
Jordan Hall 118B [Lab]
Jordan Hall 118D [Research Laboratory Service]
Long Hall 338 [Office]
Educational Background
PhD, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, 2007
BS, Biology (Botany), University of British Columbia, 2001
Research Interests
Research in my lab group focuses on how genome-level processes (e.g. gene duplication, horizontal gene transfer, introgression) and natural selection have shaped the morphological, molecular, and phylogenetic diversity of plants. Projects in the lab span a broad diversity of photosynthetic organisms, including bryophytes, flowering plants, diatoms, parasitic plants, and more. To explore the relationship between the diversification of genes, genomes, and species, we frequently work with modern methods of DNA sequencing (high-throughput or "next generation" sequencing) and their application to non-model organisms. Much of what we do with these DNA sequence data involves phylogenomic analyses, both in terms of species histories and gene histories. Ongoing work includes the evolution of floral scent in evening primroses (Onagraceae), breeding system evolution and phylogeny of the Hawaiian Islands endemic genus Schiedea (Caryophyllaceae), phylogenomics of pleurocarpous mosses, the evolution of non-photosynthetic life histories (particularly in liverworts), and the development of tools and resources to facilitate phylogenomic research in plants.
Research Group (Lab)
We are looking for graduate students (MS and PhD), postdocs, and technicians to join the lab - please reach out if you would like to talk about any of these opportunities!
Courses Taught
Evolutionary Biology, BIOL3350
