Who we are

The Ostevik Lab is committed to fostering an open and collaborative environment for scientific discovery.

We value being a welcoming community that is equitable and does not tolerate discrimination.

We understand that our work is more impactful and rigorous when we include multiple perspectives and experiences.

See our Code of Conduct for more information

Current Lab Members (in order of appearance)

Kate Ostevik

Assistant Professor (she/her)

Google Scholar / Research Gate / LinkedIn

Kate is the principal investigator of the Ostevik Lab. She is interested in all things evolution, especially how new flowering plant species arise!

Email her: kostevik@ucr.edu

Natthinee sutJaitham

Research Assistant

My interest in studying life processes in molecular terms drives me to pursue a Biochemistry major. My main interests are how the body works and how humans evolved from primitive species to dominant creatures of the planet. I also enjoy observing local flowering plants, collecting, and dissecting flower specimens.

Rajesh Neupane

PhD Student

LinkedIn / ResearchGate / Google Scholar

I am interested in understanding the genomics of wild sunflower adaptation to climate-induced stress like drought. Through GWAS and resurrection experiments, I aim to address questions on contemporary evolution and potentially identify genetic variations that enhance sunflower resilience to climate change.

Email him

Brennan Silva

PhD Student

Brennan is interested in evolutionary genetics, including topics of speciation, and chromosome evolution. He is excited to investigate chromosomal rearrangements in Clarkia and their impact on reproductive isolation & speciation.

Gangothri

PhD Student

Gangothri is interested in evolutionary ecology, where she plans on studying the role of hybridization in determining the parent species fitness and speciation in the genus Penstemon. Apart from that, she loves observing nature and playing the violin.

Alex McElwee-Adame

Joint SDSU-UCR PhD Student

Alex is interested in population and evolutionary genomics of plants and how this information can help us understand historical events within lineages and predict future outcomes. Her project focuses on exploring the evolutionary genomics of hops domestication and how hops will cope in the future under climate change.

GHAZAL SEDARAT

Undergraduate Researcher

Ghazal is a third-year CMDB major interested in genetics and its numerous effects on different organisms. She is eager to learn and build on her skills in the biological sciences as well as explore the wondrous aspects of the field.

KIANA GHAEMI

Undergraduate Researcher

Kiana is interested in genetics and evolutionary biology. She is studying as a biology major on the Pre-dental track and is looking forward to expanding her knowledge of evolutionary genetics.

VIRGINIA Li

Undergraduate Researcher

Virginia is interested in evolutionary ecology, with a specific focus on genetics and speciation. Currently in her third year as a Biology major, she is enthusiastically dedicated to expanding her knowledge through scientific research. Beyond her academic pursuits, she enjoys spending quality time with friends and indulging in a diverse array of shows.

Teddy Reitman

PhD Student

Teddy is interested in the genetics and evolution of native angiosperms (like sunflowers!) and how those findings can apply to conservation and management practices. They are especially curious as to how the soil environment may modify the felt effects of climate for overlying plants and how legacies of climate and soil adaptation have influenced the present-day genomics, morphology, mating system, and life history of native species.

Yu Tian

Undergraduate Researcher

Yu is a Third-year Biology major student. He is passionate about exploring diverse fields within life sciences to uncover the intricacies of life forms. Eager to pursue graduate studies in future to deepen his understanding and contribute to the field.

OMEID MAJD

Undergraduate Researcher

I'm a Biology major with a minor in Entomology on the Pre-Med track. I'm especially interested in the agricultural and genetic side of biology, particularly how plants adapt to environmental stress. After earning my bachelor's, I hope to continue my studies in a Biomedical Sciences Master’s program. Outside the lab, I love playing the trumpet and composing music.

Michael Wang

Honors Student

My name is Michael Wang and I am currently a third-year student majoring in biochemistry. I like to study the life sciences from a chemical perspective, especially to apply what I have learned to real life. I also have a strong interest in species evolution, botany and ecology. I can often find connections with biochemistry in these fields. In my spare time, I like playing badminton, playing piano and drawing, video editing and creation. Sometimes, I read some philosophy books as well. Knowing some philosophy has helped me a lot in my daily and academic life. In the future, I hope to enter the graduate school to further study biochemistry and get a PhD degree.