Graduate Students

Riley Jackson, MS Student

My name is Riley Jackson, I am a graduate student interested in topics of systematics and biogeography of Prunus (Rosaceae) species across Southwest North America. The subversive question of why we find plants in specific places, and what events influenced this placement has always intrigued me. This question quietly underpinned my thoughts in both my undergraduate coursework, and during internships across diverse fields including plant ecology, plant chemistry, and plant pollinator interactions. Even while outdoors participating in hobbies such as backpacking, mountain biking, and canyoneering, this question has consistently been on my mind. Time spent immersed in incredible plant communities across the West, for both work and leisure, has led me to pursue my own research interests in a personal favorite system: Prunus. Specifically, I aim to investigate genetic diversity in populations of Prunus fasciculata (desert almond) across the Sonoran and Mojave deserts in relation to both geographic barriers and environmental factors (i.e. precipitation). While I do think about plants and other living things often, you can also find me coming up with my own recipes in the kitchen, playing board and video games with friends and family, and reading fantasy novels. Feel free to reach out if you have questions (both about research, or books and games; I just can’t promise that I will stop talking!)

Helena Mieras, PhD Student

Hello, my name is Helena Mieras, I am a PhD student interested in plant phylogeography and the interface between plants and humans, especially under global change. I am very interested in how we and the plants we rely on can persist under global change. I am currently investigating grapes and the use of wild type species in conjunction with their microbiomes as a roadmap to sustainable production of commercial species. In the past I have been able to participate in many different projects ranging from butterflies, to bats, to biocrusts; and I aim to bring my diverse scientific background to the table to craft a well-rounded dissertation that incorporates these unique perspectives. My love for biology grew from a love for the outdoors and I can often be found outside, whether it be hiking, climbing, skiing, or simply existing. While nature and the outdoors hold me enthralled, I also commonly spend my time cooking, crafting, and playing board games. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or shared interests!

Undergraduates and Post-Bacs

Eli Gramzinski, Post-Bac Researcher

I recently earned my bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science, with an emphasis in Biology, at Northern Arizona University. As a Navajo student, I began college with the goal of addressing environmental challenges on the Navajo Nation and other tribal nations. Through my experiences in chemistry and biology labs, as well as an internship promoting local horticulture in schools across Flagstaff, I developed a strong passion for tackling food insecurity on the Navajo Nation and other tribal communities. I am now in the early stages of a research project where I am studying how several native crop species could serve as a local and healthy source of nutrition through sustainable horticultural practices.

Kemel Gross, Undergraduate Student

Hi! My name is Kemel Gross. Since the summer of 2025, I have been working in plant genetics and systematics. Outside the lab, I love playing video games and going on walks in nature with my cat, Kora. These moments outdoors not only recharge me but also deepen my appreciation for the natural world, an interest that naturally connects to my scientific pursuits. In the lab, I gained hands-on experience with DNA extractions, but I realized that the work alone didn’t fully satisfy me. This motivated me to reflect more deeply on what truly excites me. Through this process, I discovered that I’m most fulfilled when I can combine scientific exploration with practical applications that help people, particularly in areas like pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and nutraceuticals. By working with plants, I hope to build a strong foundation that allows me to grow into a well-rounded professional in whatever I pursue.

Piper Lloyd, Undergraduate Student Email: piperleelloyd@gmail.com

Hello! My name is Piper, I’m from Chandler, Arizona, and I have loved thinking about plant physiology and genetics since high school when I developed an obsession with California poppies growing in my neighborhood. I would admire them on my walks during the COVID19 pandemic, and ever since then I knew that I wanted to learn as much as I could about plants and how genetics affect our ever-evolving world. I am both a creative and practical person, so although botanical science is my dream career, I also value spending time playing piano, listening to audiobooks and music, and crocheting/crafting. I am in the last year of my Forestry bachelor’s degree with a certificate in Forest Resilience & Adaptation, a program which has given me great friends and taught me that what we do always has impacts on our environment. This year, I’m working with the Deaver Herbarium on a project that will require computational skills to analyze community phylogenetic data of two species of cherry trees, Prunus serotina Ehrh. and Prunus alabamensis C. Mohr. These species may have hybridized in certain areas of the southeastern United States and not in others, so I’m attempting to find the genetic and environmental drivers that might explain why. In this project I will learn about and use a high-performance computing platform called Monsoon to run genomic data through HybPiper, a Python-based tool for processing target sequence capture - where bait sequences are used to bind nucleotide “exon” sequences of DNA that can be used for downstream analysis. These skills will help greatly as I pursue a future Master’s degree in botany, where I can continue being a plant nerd!

B.S. Forestry, Certificate of Forest Resilience & Adaptation, Biology Minor
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/piper-lee-lloyd

Claire Reynolds, Undergraduate Student Email: cr2644@nau.edu

Hello! I am a senior at Northern Arizona University working towards a bachelor’s degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology! I’m broadly interested in the ecological interplay between plant and animal species, particularly in relation to morphology. I’m currently leading a project funded by NAU’s Hooper Undergraduate Research Award investigating the environmental and morphological variation in Canada thistle and desert globemallow in western North America. In the future, I hope to attend grad school and pursue a master’s! Outside of academia, I enjoy spending time with my cats, reading, thrifting, and going to the local farmer’s markets! I’m also definitely an ‘outsidesy’ person rather than outdoorsy; I love anything that has to do with relaxing and recharging out in nature.

Catherine Young, Undergraduate Student

Hi! I’m Catherine Young, a senior undergraduate student at Northern Arizona University studying Forestry with a certificate in Wildland Fire Ecology and Management. I have been a principal investigator on a series of studies funded through NAU's Hooper Undergraduate Research Award (HURA) that involve the conservation of the federally threatened plant Packera franciscana. This species is endemic to the treeline and alpine tundra of the San Francisco Peaks, just north of Flagstaff, Arizona. I have successfully grown it from seeds, designed the first vegetative propagation protocol, cultivated the first outdoor population of the species in captivity, and created a tissue culture micropropagation protocol. My goal is to ensure the long-term conservation of these plants by studying how hybridization with a closely related species will affect the population through genetic analysis. After graduating, I’m planning to continue my work with the P. franciscana while pursuing a PhD in Biological Sciences from Northern Arizona University. My favorite activities are snowboarding, hiking, and gardening. I’m lucky enough that my research requires me to do all of those things!

Lab Alumni

Ava Brinkley, MS

Hi, I’m Ava! I completed my MS in 2025, which focused on species boundaries in the genus Astragalus. Now, I’m based in Melbourne, Australia, doing a PhD focused on the phylogeography of warm-temperate rainforest species in eastern Australia! I’m broadly interested in systematics, biogeography, and conservation, and especially overlaps between them. I’m a big proponent of using a combination of field- and lab-based methods to answer questions, and I was excited to be able to incorporate morphological and genomic data for my MS in the Hodel Lab. Outside of the lab, I enjoy cooking, writing creative nonfiction, and loitering in used bookstores.