MEET THE LAB

Dr. Rachel Spigler

Rachel is an Associate Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Biology at Temple University. She received her BS, summa cum laude, in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology from the University of Arizona and her PhD in Botany (now Plant Sciences) at the University of Georgia. At Georgia, she was co-advised by Shumei Chang & Stephen Hubbell. She worked as a Postdoctoral Associate with Tia-Lynn Ashman and, subsequently, Susan Kalisz prior to joining the Department of Biology at Temple. When not thinking about flowers, Rachel likes to spend time with her family (including her adorable cats), read a book in a hammock, travel, and attempt to play the piano.

Katie McManus

Katie is a PhD Candidate who joined the lab Fall 2021. She is interested in insect ecology & pollinator conservation. She previously researched the effects of climate change on plant physiology at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the impacts of agriculture on milkweed for monarch conservation at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Katie earned her BS in Biology from the University of Scranton in 2019. She enjoys running, doing yoga, reading memoirs, and rollerskating.

Wesley Greer IV

Wesley is an undergraduate researcher in the lab. He recently received his BS in Physics and will be moving on to graduate school for Philosophy. Wesley is a broad thinker who is applying his impressive math skills to modeling the evolution of selfing in plants.

Amaranna Egwim

Amaranna is an undergraduate researcher in the lab. A Biology major, she has interdisciplinary interests in medicine and plant biology. Amaranna developed a protocol for germinating the ridiculously tiny Sabatia angularis seeds in Petri dishes to enable accurate estimates of germination rates.

Past Lab Members

We are fortunate to have worked with amazing postdoctoral associates, graduate students, technicians, and undergrads over the years.