Lauren E. Frankel

Hi there! I am a post-doc in the Tribble Lab at the University of Washington.

I’m an evolutionary biologist studying the inference of hybridization in evolutionary histories. Particularly, I’m interested in illuminating assumptions of inference methods and their performances when broken, developing useful tools and documentation, and testing these in empirical systems. I have a particular fondness for Andean angiosperm radiations — studying the evolution of their floral morphologies, pollination systems, and biogeography.

I received my Ph.D. in Botany at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in Dr. Cécile Ané’s lab. There, I studied the accuracy of hybridization inference methods, and applied these to understand hybridization and trait evolution in the Neotropical bellflowers (Campanulaceae: Lobelioideae). I was supported by a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Prior to my PhD, I was the data analyst in the Espíndola Lab at the University of Maryland studying the biogeography of Calceolaria slipperflowers (Calceolariaceae).

My hobbies outside of academia include: running with friends, curling up with a good book (and usually devouring in one sitting), paddling on lakes and streams, hiking and camping, and printmaking. I was born and raised in New Jersey, which you can easily start a conversation about if you bring up Bruce Springsteen, good bagels, and/or the right not to pump your own gas.