PlantGrads

Aubrey Hawks

Aubrey Hawks is a PhD student in the Karasov Lab at the University of Utah. She studies how abiotic stress in the plant host shapes pathogen communities in the leaf. Using Arabidopsis thaliana and Pseudomonas syringae as a model system, she studies how pathogens adapt to drought conditions using high-throughput mutagenesis screens to identify pathogen genes that play a more vital role under stress. Aubrey also investigates how prolonged drought shifts defensive chemistry in aspen leaves and whether these changes influence microbial communities. Through this research, she aims to better understand how environmental stressors impact both plant health and pathogen dynamics.

Outside the lab, she enjoys cooking, weightlifting, reading and spending time outdoors. Prior to studying Biology, Aubrey received an MA in Art History. She occasionally reads, writes or teaches about art.

Nikee Shrestha

I am originally from Nepal and am currently a PhD candidate at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in the Schnable lab of Dr. James Schnable. My research focuses on utilizing quantitative genetics, machine learning, and genomics to identify causal variants in the trait of interest and understand the regulatory mechanism of gene expression in maize and sorghum. In my spare time, I like trying different foods, and dancing.