Project Grant 2209159

This National Science Foundation project grant of $432,000 provides funding for a postdoctoral fellowship in biology from August 15, 2022 through July 31, 2025. The fellowship, awarded under the Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074), supports research at the University of California, Berkeley on characterizing distinct life history strategies in the monkeyflowers genus Mimulus.

The fellow, Jesús Martínez-Gómez, will employ population genetics and genome sequencing methods to understand how genomic architecture changes resulted in transitions between two forms of annual life cycles in Mimulus. The research aims to identify genomic regions underlying phenotypic variation between opportunistic and determinist annual strategies. It will apply machine learning to population genomics data from hundreds of Mimulus individuals and use experimental evolution to re-evolve the determinist strategy from the opportunistic strategy. Broader impacts include training and mentoring students, as well as curriculum development with the UC Botanical Garden. Findings will further the biological sciences by providing a framework for predicting population responses to climate change.