Caitlin Conn

Dr. Conn researches antagonistic relationships that involve plants. Half of her work focuses on parasitic plants from the Orobanchaceae family and addresses questions about the genes that enable them to interact with hosts. Dr. Conn also studies the relationship between American chestnut trees and the fungal blight that has driven them to functional extinction.

Education

• PhD in Genetics; The University of Georgia, Athens, GA; Dissertation title: The molecular evolution of strigolactone perception in plants; 2017
•  BS in Biology; The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA; 2011

Teaching Interests

• Genetics
• Biological Diversity
• Evolution

Research Interests

• parasitic plants
• gene duplication
• phylogenetics