Meet the Incoming PLB Grad Students!
New year brings some new faces, some familiar
Each year, the department of Plant Biology welcomes a new cohort of graduate students
from a broad array of backgrounds. These students express a wide variety of research
interests aligned with Plant Biology's mission of studying plant systems from molecules
to ecosystems.
Read on to get acquainted with the 2025 cohort!
Garret is from Goodrich, MI and graduated from Grand Valley State University in 2025
with a B.Sc. in Biology. He's interested in researching the relationships between people and plants — and their
biology — while working with Dr. Tammy Long.
Garrett enjoys "biking, gardening, board games, and almost everything else."
Sam is from Davidson, MI and is a returning Spartan: she graduated from MSU in 2023
with a BS in Zoology. She'll be working with Dr. Daniela Strenkert to study ferredoxins
and the chlorophyll biosynthesis pathway in the algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.
Sam loves being outside, her favorite outdoor activities are hiking and scuba diving.
A Pennsylvania native, Ashton studied mathematics and biology at Kutztown University
of Pennsylvania. Ashton's interested in all things plants, but is particularly keen
on studying plant -omics, stress physiology and computational biology. Ashton will
be rotating through PLB labs to explore the breadth of his interests. Ashton enjoys
reading, rock climbing and gardening.
Mataeus is a Greensboro, NC native, and earned his BS in Zoology from NC State University.
He's interested in studying evolution and ecology, specifically the dynamics of symbiotic
relationships, and will be working with Dr. Kadeem Gilbert. Mataeus enjoys exercising,
gardening, cultivating cullinary mushrooms, and archery — to name a few hobbies.
Hailing from Atwater, OH, Renae joins MSU after earning their BS in Environmnetal
Biology, with a minor in GIS, from Kent State University in 2023.
One might get the sense that Renae is interested in "all things terrestrial remote sensing" and computational
ecology — a project they'll be working with Dr. Kyla Dahlin to develop. Renae likes
learning new things, and thrifting for old things.
Sam is a returning Spartan originally from Shenzhen, China. Sam graduated from PLB
last year with a BS in Plant Biology. Fittingly for someone making a timely return,
Sam is interested in the circadian rhythm of plants — right on cue.
Sam will be working with Dr. Eva Farre, and has a broad interest in aquatic sports.
In it for the long haul, Larissa is from Marathon, WI. Building on a BS in Botany
from UW-Madison, she's interested in studying community ecology, seed dispersal, quantitative
ecology and more — and she'll be working with Dr. Lauren Sullivan to do so.
Larissa enjoys everything from playing piano, to cooking to making paper crafts.
Sophia is a Houstonian who received their BS in Biology from the University fo Houston
before completing an NSF RaMP post-bacalaureate program in 2025. They're joining the
lab of Dr. Carolyn Malmstrom to study a swathe of topics from plant-microbe interactions,
to plant viruses and plant adaptations to climate change. Sophia is a bit of a firebrand
— literally! One of their hobbies is pyrography: the art of burning art into wood.
Caz is from Whitmire Lake, MI and is rejoining PLB, where they previously earned a BS in plant biology. Working with Dr. Lars Brudvig, Caz is interested in restoration ecology and the convergence of plant biology and entomology. Caz is an adventurer, who enjoys journeys through real-life wetlands and fantasy worlds via novels and tabletop games.
From Akron, OH and a graduate of IU in Bloomington, IN, Jordan now makes another stop
in a journey through the American Midwest at MSU. With an interest in community-level
functional traits and the importance of community functions in restoration efforts,
Jordan joins the Brudvig Restoration Ecology Lab with Dr. Lars Brudvig. Jordan enjoys
hiking, playing board games and watching "funky movies."
