Who we are

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

We value diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism.

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

Rebeca Hernández Gutiérrez

Postdoctoral Scholar

Google Scholar

Rebeca is interested in evolution, especially in how flowering plants diversify in number and form at macro- and microevolutionary scales

Email her: rebecahe@ucr.edu

danielle Marcelin-stone

Undergraduate Researcher (she/her)

Danielle is interested in evolutionary biology and genetics. She is currently studying as a biology major on the Pre-med track with a feminist studies minor and is looking to take her career in a more research focused pathway.

alana Yamauchi

Undergraduate Researcher (she/her)

Alana is interested in genetics and genetic variation between different organisms. She is a biochemistry major, with an emphasis on premed, and is currently working towards a minor in computer science.

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.

ALondra Ramirez

Undergraduate Researcher

Alondra is interested in genetics and molecular biology. She is currently studying as a Biology major on the Pre-med route and is looking forward to continue learning more about the field of research.

Kenny NGUYEN

Undergraduate Researcher

Kenny is interested in how the biology of life adjusts to acclimate various localities in plants. As a Bio-chemistry major on the pre-med track, he wants to take his experiences to develop new interests in evolutionary Biology. He also enjoys watching his mom plant new vegetables.

Rajesh Neupane

PhD Student

Rajesh is interested in understanding gene-environment interaction (G X E) and its application in climate-resilient agriculture.

Brennan Silva

PhD Student

Brennan is interested in evolutionary genetics, including topics of speciation, and chromosome evolution. He is excited to begin exploring these questions in flowering plants like sunflowers and Clarkia.

Joanna Fuerte

Undergraduate Researcher

I'm interested in evolutionary ecology, especially in plants and fungi. I'm excited to expand my knowledge and study interests as an undergrad. In my free time, I like to rewatch shows and journal.

Aurora cullen

Research Assistant

Aurora is interested in the effects of climate change on wildlife and how organisms can adapt to rising temperatures. She is a 4th year Biology Major working towards a career in conservation and wildlife biology.

Rhiena Oliveira

Undergraduate Researcher

Rhiena (Rey-na) is interested in genetics which drives her interest to learn more about genes and understand their various effects in different species. She is currently a fourth year biology major with a desire to attend a masters program in genetic counseling. Rhiena is excited to learn more about genetics through an evolutionary lens.

Joshua Alexis

Undergraduate Researcher

Joshua is interested in the passage of genetic diseases and disorders within various species of plants and animals. He is eager to keep an open mind and develop new interests and experiences in the biological sciences. Currently is a fourth-year Biology major working towards a career in genetic counseling.

Linlin Liu

Undergraduate Researcher

Linlin is a fourth-year Statistics major and is interested in genetics and bioinformatics. She is excited to explore and learn more about life science research and hopes to pursue a graduate degree in biostatistics or bioinformatics.

Monique Marquez

Visiting Undergraduate Researcher

Monique is interested in botany and mycology. She is currently in her fourth year studying as a Biology major. In her free time, she loves to take care of her strawberry patch.

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.