Lab Members
Dr. Jason (Jay) Sexton (Associate Professor, Principal Investigator)
Dr. Sexton applies an evolutionary perspective and a collaborative interdisciplinary approach to pressing questions in evolution and ecology. He uses field and greenhouse experiments, genetic analyses, environmental modeling, physiological analyses, and biogeographic datasets to address these questions. Although he focuses primarily on plant climate adaptation, he also actively contributes to research on sustainability science, from biological invasions, and maximizing species diversity under climate change, to the role of sociocultural adaptive capacity in biological conservation. His research is driven by urgent questions, and is grounded in empirical study to test, enhance, and expand ecological and evolutionary theory.
Graduate Students
Lynn Breithaupt (PhD Candidate, August 2023-present)
Lynn graduated with a bachelor’s degree in organismal ecology and evolution from California State University, Stanislaus in 2022, and is currently a Ph.D. student in Quantitative and System Biology in the department of Life and Environmental Science at UC Merced. Lynn’s research explores climate change effects on plants and pollinators commonly found in seasonal 
meadows, vernal pools, and grasslands. Currently, Lynn is working on a collaborative project investigating drought adaptations and resilience, using the model organism Mimulus guttatus, or seep monkeyflower. This research is funded by the NSF’s Organismal Response to Climate Change program. She is also studying plant-pollinator phenology and ecological interactions, and their response to interannual weather variation in the Merced Vernal Pool and Grassland Reserve, and is writing a review on global vernal pool conservation. Outside of research, Lynn enjoys volunteering her time to help with native plant restoration projects in her community and on the CSU Stanislaus campus. She enjoys being involved in her local chapter of California Native Plant Society and helps lead conservation projects and collaborations within the chapter. In her down time, Lynn enjoys quality time with her partner, two dogs and bunny, does lots of baking/homesteading, and has several artistic hobbies such as sewing and making earrings.
Peter Nguyen (PhD Candidate, August 2023-present) 
Peter earned his Bachelor’s degree in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2022 and is now pursuing a PhD in Quantitative and Systems Biology at the University of California, Merced. His research focuses on understanding how plants adapt to climate stress by integrating genomics and microbiome data. He studies the California poppy as part of a multi-year NSF-funded project with Dr. Jason Sexton at UC Merced and Dr. Elsa Cleland at UC San Diego. Peter also works closely with the California Conservation Genomics Project and the Joint Genome Institute at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, collaborating with Dr. Yi Zhai in the John Vogel Group. Peter enjoys fishing, playing RuneScape, and exploring with Pokémon GO in his free time.
LaMonika Dent (PhD Student, August 2025-present; Co-advised by Dr. Joshua Garcia)
LaMonika graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Agriculture and Natural Resources from Berea College in 2024 and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Environmental Systems at the University of California, Merced. As part of the TARDISS (Transformation of American Rubber through Domestic Innovation for Supply Security) initiative, she will be working with guayule, a desert shrub that holds promise as a natural rubber source. Her research will explore the drought resilience, nutrient requirements, and phytoremediation potential of different guayule genotypes, with the goal of identifying varieties that can thrive in California’s Central Valley. Outside the lab, LaMonika can often be found roller skating and hiking nearby trails.
Undergraduate Students
Emily Solorio
Emily Solorio is a current fourth-year student at UC Merced, majoring in Environmental Systems Science and minoring in Management and Business Economics. She began volunteering in the Sexton Lab in Spring 2023. She is currently exploring her own research interests and hopes to pursue a graduate degree in the future. In her free time, she loves to hang out with her cat and snake, watch Gilmore Girls, read, and play The Legend of Zelda.
Lab Alumni:
Aster Riley, Graduate Researcher (2022-2025)
Dr. Daniel Toews, PhD (2015-2024). Current Position: Strategic Project Manager, The Nature Conservancy
Dr. Lillie Pennington, PhD (2017-2023). Current Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Georgia
Dr. Brandon Hendrickson, PhD (2017-2022). Current Position: Postdoctoral Researcher and Visiting Assistant Professor, University of Louisiana, Lafayette
Dr. Jorge A. Montiel, PhD (2015-2021). Current Position: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Arizona
Dr. Jackie Shay, PhD (2016-2021). Current position: Assistant Teaching Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara
Dr. Molly Stephens, Project Scientist (2015-2019). Current position: Executive Director, Sierra Nevada Research Institute.
Dr. Dannise Ruiz-Ramos, Postdoctoral Researcher (2017-2019). Current position: Assistant Professor, University of Maryland, Eastern Shore.
Erin Dickman, MS (2014-2016). Current position: Restoration Ecologist, Yosemite National Park
Elizabeth Green, Lab Manager (2014-2016).
Isabel Jones, BS; Esmeralda Quintero, BS; Jim Chen, BS; Gabriel Tejeda, BS; Josh Judilla, BS; Aster Riley; Aditi Verma, BS; Amy White, BS; Melissa Rivas, BS; Xitlaly Gomez Vega, BS; Abel Campos-Melendez, BS; Mimi Pomephimkham, BS; Sunshine Lopez, BS; Yazmin Lommel, BS; Angelo Aragon, BS; Alfredo Enriquez, BS; Jasmine Ramirez Bonilla, BS; Jenna Heckel, BS; Amanda Tse, BS; Sherman Yu, BS; William Higson, BS; Grant Lvison-Lane, BS; Tyler Rackelmann, BS; Abel Campos-Melendez, BS; Kimberly Du, BS; Marcel Dube, BS; Adriana Gomez, BS; Jenna Heckel, BS; Teanna Herrera, BS; Kara Kutsuris, BS; Kehily Maldonado, BS; Flor Nunez, BS; Michelle On, BS; Leslie Paredes, BS; Valeria Rivera, BS; Kimberly Rodriguez, BS; Alyze Salan, BS; Gilma Sevilla-Alvarez, BS; Michael Spaeth, BS.
You must be logged in to post a comment.