Olson-Manning, Carrie

• Post-doc, Protein Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 

• Ph.D., Evolutionary Genetics, Duke University, Durham, NC 

• B.S., Evolution and Genetics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN

Genes do not act in isolation in a cell. Instead, each gene is found in a complex network with many interacting partners. My lab is broadly focused on understanding evolution in metabolic pathways. To understand the consequences of metabolic pathway evolution, we use the model system of milkweeds (Asclepias). 

Hybridization is common in nature and can lead to many interesting phenomena, including introgression of adaptive genes and alleles across species. Two species of milkweed (Asclepia speciosa and A. syriaca) share a zone of overlap in the central US and we have identified hybrids in the field. In collaboration with Dr. Steven Matzner and Augustana, we are trying to understand the genomic and biochemical basis of differences that reinforce species boundaries. Students will be offered training opportunities in ecological field research, molecular biology, genomics, and bioinformatics. 

To visit Dr. Olson-Manning's website: carrieolsonmanning.com or go to milkweedflower.org to find out more about our milkweed research.