Hannah McConnell is a second year PhD Candidate in the Di Stillio Lab who studies ferns!
Hannah’s research is focused on understanding the evolution of the pioneer transcription factor LEAFY and its role in plant development. Most LEAFY research has focused on angiosperms, but Hannah studies the function of LEAFY in a fern species. This will allow Hannah to both investigate LEAFY’s function in ferns and to study LEAFY’s evolutionary trajectory by comparing their findings to what is known about LEAFY in other plant species.
Hannah hopes their research will provide a greater understanding in the evolution of pioneer transcription factors. Additionally, understanding LEAFY function can be useful for working with and engineering crops due to its involvement in flowering in many crop species.
Excited about pioneer transcription factors, LEAFY, and/or ferns? Feel free to reach out to Hannah with questions about their work!
