Amanda Rawstern

Ph.D. 2025 Biology - University of Miami, Afkhami Lab

 

I’m a plant microbial ecologist studying how whole-genome duplication events (polyploidy) in plants impact microbiome structural properties in the Ashman Lab.  I am interested in integrating ecological and genomic approaches to investigating microbial applications in agriculture and habitat conservation.

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Past research has used network approaches to predict microbial community assembly patterns, investigated the role of plant-microbe mutualist interactions in plant pathogen mitigation, and assessed the impact of domestication on microbiome functionality and stability.