Current members
Victoria L. Sork
Distinguished Professor
vlsork[at]ucla.edu
Victoria Sork is also Director of the UCLA Mathias Botanical Garden and is affiliated with the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. She studies evolutionary and conservation genomics, ecological genetics, and conservation science to discover how long-lived trees can survive climate warming, with a special focus on oaks. Victoria received her B.S. from University of California Irvine and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. She is an elected member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the California Academy of Sciences. Throughout her career, Victoria has been dedicated to advancing conservation science and promoting inclusive excellence in education and research. She acknowledges and respects the relationship of Native Peoples with the ecosystems and plants of California. She likes to cycle on weekends.
Dr. Lily D. Peck
Postdoctoral scholar
ldpeck[at]ucla.edu
Lily, an evolutionary biologist postdoc with Prof. Victoria Sork, is interested in the ecology and adaptation of natural populations of plants and fungi. She asks questions about the underlying mechanisms of evolutionary change integrating whole-genome, methylome, and transcriptome data with population genomics and comparative phylogenetic approaches. Currently working on genetic and epigenetic responses of natural tree populations to drought stress, she earned her PhD in Evolutionary Biology at Imperial College London in the UK, where she worked in Prof. Tim Barraclough’s lab. In her free time she swims in the Pacific ocean and runs in the coastal hills.
Dr. Ryan Buck
Postdoctoral scholar
rcbuck[at]ucla.edu
Postdoctoral researcher Ryan Buck is an evolutionary biologist interested in conservation genetics and hybridization in plants. At UCLA, he partners with The Nature Conservancy to address the conservation needs of foundational oak species across California using genomic tools. His dissertation work studied hybridization and genomics in the Southwestern pinyon pine syngameon in the joint doctoral program at San Diego State University/University of California Riverside. He likes to spike volleyballs in his free time
Dr. Alexander R. B. Goetz
Postdoctoral scholar
arbgoetz[at]ucla.edu
Alex Goetz, a postdoctoral researcher, uses statistical modeling of large ecological datasets to answer theoretical and applied questions about ecosystem dynamics under global change. He is currently working with Dr. Sork and Dr. Jessica Wright (USDA Forest Service) on a long-term provenance study of valley oak tree response to climate. Projects include examining the effects of climatic maladaptation on current and projected tree growth, constructing a data management system and interactive web application, and mentoring student field researchers at local institutions. His PhD work at the University of Denver focused on riparian plant community response to invasive species removal. You can also find Alex performing across LA’s live music scene.
Berenice Badillo
PhD candidate
bbadillo[at]ucla.edu
Berenice (she/her), a PhD candidate in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, is interested in tree physiological response to climate. Her current work utilizes principles of quantitative genetics to research the evolution of functional trait variation within a single species, valley oak. She aims to understand how such variation will facilitate or constrain a tree’s response to rapid climate warming. Her work will provide support for a new approach that utilizes physiological information to identify seed sources to incorporate in restoration projects. She received her A.S. in Natural Sciences from Pasadena City College and B.S. in Biology and a minor in Chemistry from Cal Poly Pomona where she studied the effects of juglone on native seed germination and fire frequency on drought stress of California black walnut. Outside of the lab, she enjoys walking her dog, spending time with family, and testing her home fire alarm by roasting chiles.
Heidi Yang
PhD candidate
hyangg[at]ucla.edu
Heidi Yang (they/she), a PhD candidate in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, studies the evolution of adaptation to environmental variation, with specific interests in the genomic basis of adaptations and research applications to ecosystem management. For their research, they are investigating: the role of chromosomal inversions in local adaptation of valley oak; association between genotypes and adaptive phenotypes with hyperspectral reflectance of valley oak leaves; and genetic diversity of California oaks in Los Angeles’ urban forest. Heidi graduated from UC Berkeley with degrees in Molecular Environmental Biology (B.S.) and Geography (B.A.). Outside of work, they like to tap dance and take care of Edith the cat.
Jacqueline Holmes
PhD student
jacqholmes[at]ucla.edu
Jacqueline Holmes (she/her) is a PhD student in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, studying the genomic basis of climate adaptation to understand how natural plant populations respond to climate change. Her research focuses on the California scrub oak, a widespread native shrub, using landscape genomic analyses to assess potential maladaptation across its range under various climate scenarios and testing these predictions through experimental approaches. She received her Bachelor of Science in Molecular Environmental Biology from UC Berkeley, where she worked with Richard Dodd on the California Conservation Genomics Project, mapping the genomic structure of tree species across their ranges. Outside of the lab, she enjoys exploring the outdoors with her two energetic dogs.
Projects and Current collaborators
Impact of evolutionary history on tree response to climate stress
Ryan Buck, Postdoc, UCLA
Frank Davis, UC Santa Barbara
Jessica W. Wright, US Forest Service
Lee Love-Anderegg, UC Santa Barbara
Common Garden Studies of Local Adaptation in Valley Oak
Alexander Goetz, Postdoc, UCLA
Jessica W. Wright, US Forest Service
Applied conservation genomics of California Oaks
Ryan Buck, Postdoc, UCLA
The Nature Conservancy
Elizabeth Hiroyasu
Jeannette K. Howard
John Knapp
Scott Butterfield
Zackary Principles
Molecular and Evolutionary Genomics
Lily Peck, Postdoc, UCLA
Bob Schmitz, University of Georgia
Kirk Lohmueller, UCLA
Recent members
Marissa Ochoa
PhD, 2024
Diego Zapata
Masters of Science, 2024
Scott O’Donnell
PhD, 2024
Alayna Mead
PhD, 2024
Luke Browne
Postdoc
Paul Gugger
Postdoc
Rachel Meyer
Postdoc
Former collaborators
Aleksey Zimin
John Hopkins University
Daniela Puiu
John Hopkins University
Matteo Pellegrini
Department of Life Sciences, UCLA
Shawn Cokus
Department of Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology, UCLA
Steven Salzberg
John Hopkins University
Sorel Fitz-Gibbon
Bioinformatician