Katherine Wenzell

I study floral trait variation and plant-pollinator interactions to understand how these interactions shape the mating and evolution of plant species. My research integrates phenotypic, genomic, and ecological approaches to better understand early stages of divergence and speciation.

• Currently, I'm an NSF Posdoctoral Research Fellow studying environmental drivers of floral phenotypic and genomic divergence in species complexes of Castilleja (the paintbrushes).

• Next year I'll be joining the Department of Natural Resource Management at South Dakota State Univeristy as Assistant Professor of Plant Conservation and Director of the C.A. Taylor Herbarium (incoming August 2025). 

• I received my PhD in Plant Biology and Conservation in the Skogen-Fant Lab at Northwestern University and Chicago Botanic Garden, where I studied geographic variation in floral traits, pollinators, and population genetics of Castilleja sessiliflora and the C. purpurea complex.

• For my first postdoc, I researched the evolution of floral scent and color in relation to pollinator behavior in monkeyflowers (Mimulus) and Alpine orchids in the Byers Group at John Innes Centre in Norwich, UK.