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

Rajesh Neupane

PhD Candidate

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 Candidate

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 Candidate

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.

Teddy Reitman

PhD Student

Teddy is interested in understanding how structural genomic variation and ecological differentiation drive processes of adaptation, speciation, and diversification using flowering plants as a model system. Their dissertation research focuses primarily on wild populations of dune sunflowers, which means they get to spend lots of time exploring dunes in the field and playing with sunflowers in the greenhouse. In their free time, Teddy enjoys reading and spending time with their dog, Pansy.

ANNHI HA

Undergraduate Researcher

Annhi is an undergraduate student majoring in plant biology, aspiring to pursue an MD/PhD. She is interested in exploring the evolutionary genetics behind plant responses to stress, in hopes of later applying this knowledge to improve crop resilience and global food security. In her free time, she enjoys going to the beach, hiking, and playing ice hockey.

BROOKE WALLASCH

PhD Student (co-advised with

Dr. Marko Spasojevic)

Brooke is interested in alpine ecology and evolution. Her project focuses on exploring the intersection between community ecology and genetics by using molecular tools to understand how alpine plant communities are responding to climate change. When she's not behind her computer, she loves mountain biking with her dog and nature photography.

Liberty li

Undergraduate Researcher

Liberty is a third-year biochemistry major interested in learning about the diversification of life forms. She enjoys hiking and observing nature both at large scales and at the molecular level, and studying their history and properties through research. In her free time, she loves drawing and trying out new restaurants.

Shijia Tang

Undergraduate Researcher

Shijia is a second-year undergraduate biology student interested in learning more about the research world within evolutionary biology and understanding the principles behind speciation. She hopes to gain a stronger understanding of research through learning a variety of different techniques. In her free time, she loves to explore new areas, trying different foods/cafes, and running.

Naina Guddeti

Undergraduate Researcher

Naina is a second-year undergraduate student majoring in Biology and she aspires to become a physician. She is interested in how various genetic factors influence reproductive traits in sunflowers. In her free time, she enjoys visiting the beach, watching movies, and playing basketball.

tuan thai

Undergraduate Researcher

Hi, my name is Tuan. I am a premed biology major, and I am interested in preservation and the outdoors. I look forward to making a meaningful contribution to the sciences. In my free time, I like to play video games, build Gundam, and hike.

Shruthi Veerasekaran

Undergraduate Researcher

Shruthi is a second-year undergraduate student interested in learning about topics in genetics and evolutionary biology. She hopes to look more into data analysis and bioinformatics and also gain a better understanding of techniques used in a lab and in research. In her free time, she enjoys watching TV shows, drawing, and singing.