Lauren Eserman, Ph.D.
Research areas: Evolutionary Biology, Conservation Genetics, Genomics
As the Garden’s Research Scientist in Genetics, Dr. Eserman-Campbell leads the Garden's ongoing research in conservation genetics. Dr. Eserman's background is in genomics, population genetics, and plant systematics. At the Garden, the Conservation Genetics Program uses modern genomic sequencing techniques to inform conservation outcomes. Dr. Eserman-Campbell heads the Garden's Conservation Genetics lab in addition to advising students interested in engaging in conservation biology research. She works on a wide variety of projects from orchids to rare and endangered plants of the Southeast to morning glories.
Lauren received her BS and MS degrees in Biological Sciences from Southeastern Louisiana University in 2009 and 2012, respectively. While at Southeastern, her research encompassed taxonomic, phylogenetic, and population genetic studies of morning glories in the genus Ipomoea. She earned her PhD from the University of Georgia in 2017, where she worked to understand the evolutionary relationships among sweet potato and its wild relatives and the genetic mechanisms underlying storage root formation.