Findley Finseth

Biography

Findley Finseth is an Assistant Professor of Genomics in the Natural Sciences Department at the Claremont Colleges. She received her BSc in Biology from the University of Virginia and her PhD in Ecology and Evolution from Cornell University. Her research program investigates the evolutionary drivers of biodiversity. By complementing modern genomics studies of natural populations with classic genetics experiments, Findley’s work offers novel insight into the maintenance of genetic variation, the processes of adaptation and speciation, and the evolution of the genome itself. As a Presidential Life Sciences Fellow at Cornell University, Findley investigated how sexual selection shapes genes involved in reproduction in birds. During her dissertation, she received teaching awards and was named a P.E.O. Scholar. Currently, Findley focuses on a group of California native wildflowers, Mimulus. Her work in Mimulus is broad, spanning studies of selfishly evolving genes to the genetic basis of thermally-adapted plants in Yellowstone National Park. Findley’s research has been published in journals such as Proceedings of the Royal Society-B, Molecular Biology and Evolution, Molecular Ecology, and PLoS ONE and highlighted in national media outlets. Funding for her work has been provided by organizations including the National Science Foundation, the American Museum of Natural History, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the Andrew W. Mellon foundation.

Education

• B.S., University of Virginia
• Ph.D., Cornell University
• Post-doc, University of Montana

Research Interests

Academic Focus

• My lab focuses on evolutionary genomics in a group of California native wildflowers, Mimulus. Under this broad umbrella, specific areas of study include selfishly evolving genes, co-evolution, population genomics, and the genomic basis of adaptation.

Courses Taught

• Genetics
• Genomics
• Bioinformatics

Selected Research and Publications

• AC Case**, FR Finseth**, CM Barr, L Fishman. Selfish evolution of cytonuclear hybrid incompatibility in Mimulus. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, in press. **equal contribution
• M Hendrick**, FR Finseth**, M Matthiassen*, K Palmer*, E Broder*, L Fishman. In press. The genetics of extreme microgeographic adaptation: an integrated approach identifies a major gene underlying leaf trichome divergence in Yellowstone Mimulus guttatus. Molecular Ecology, in press. **equal contribution
• FR Finseth, Y Dong, A Saunders, L Fishman (2015) Duplication and adaptive evolution of a key centromeric protein in Mimulus, a genus with female meiotic drive. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 32 (10): 2694-2706.
• FR Finseth, ER Bondra*, RG Harrison (2014) Selective constraint dominates the evolution of a novel reproductive gland. Molecular Biology and Evolution. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 12: 3266-3281.
• FR Finseth, RG Harrison (2014) A comparison of next-generation sequencing technologies for transcriptome assembly and utility for RNA-Seq in a non-model bird. PLoS ONE, 9: e108550.
• FR Finseth, SR Iacovelli*, RG Harrison, EK Adkins-Regan (2013) A non-semen copulatory fluid influences the outcome of sperm competition in Japanese quail. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 26: 1875 -1889.

*undergraduate co-author