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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Mariana Matar

Undergraduate Researcher

Mariana is a 3rd year biology major. She is very interested in learning more about evolutionary biology in plants. She hopes to one day go into the health field and implement the skills learned in the Ostevik Lab.

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.