Lab Members - Wessinger Lab
Lab Members
Carrie Wessinger
Carrie started the lab at the University of South Carolina in the Spring of 2020. She is a native of Portland, Oregon and earned her BS in Biology from Brown University where she gained an appreciation for organismal and evolutionary biology. She then worked with Mark Rausher at Duke University for her PhD and worked with Lena Hileman (and John Kelly) at the University of Kansas for her postdoc, all current collaborators. She is fascinated by the phenomenon of parallel evolution. Outside of work, she loves exploring Columbia and the natural beauty of South Carolina.
wessinc[at]mailbox.sc.edu
Aidan Short
Aidan is an NSF Postdoc Fellow in the lab studying how divergent pollinator adaptation contributes to genome divergence and speciation. To do this he is analyzing patterns of selection and gene flow between the sister species Penstemon barbatus and virgatus, and is also performing simulations of pollinator isolation. Aidan developed an interest in speciation as a PhD student in Matt Streisfeld’s lab where he studied the outcomes of hybridization within the Mimulus aurantiacus species complex. Outside of the lab, he enjoys spending time with his wife and son. He joined the lab in January 2025.
Brooke Kern
Brooke is a postdoc in the lab since October 2025. She has a BS in biology from U. Montana and completed her PhD in Dave Moeller’s lab at the U. Minnesota in September of 2025, where she studied how differences in mating system contribute to reproductive isolation in a pair of Clarkia taxa. Brooke now studies the hybrid swarm Penstemon x jonesii and the dynamics of gene flow and selection among these hybrids and their parent species. Outside the lab, she enjoys playing Dungeons & Dragons, reading, and knitting.
Trinity Depatie
Trinity joined the lab as a PhD student in the fall of 2020, and is interested in the evolution of floral morphological traits. Her dissertation focuses on the ecological function and genetic basis of personate flowers in Penstemon’s eastern clade (sect. Penstemon). Outside of lab, Trinity likes baking, hiking, and riding horses.
Zack Radford
Zack is a PhD student in the lab. He obtained a BS in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior at the University of Minnesota. He then worked as a lab technician for Dave Moeller and Ya Yang working on several different projects related to dispersal, adaptation, complex traits, and metabolite evolution. Zack’s research involves investigating the basis for complex trait evolution in Penstemon, particularly flower color polymorphism in Penstemon whippleanus. In his free time he enjoys backpacking, music, and long walks on scree.
Palmer Lambert
Palmer joined the lab as a technician in fall of 2024. He received a BS in environmental ecology at the University of Dayton. Since graduating, he has worked as a field technician for the USFS, collecting fire ecology data for Morris Johnson of the University of Washington. Palmer has a broad interest in environmental ecology and joined the lab to learn more about evolutionary ecology. His current roles within the lab are developing morphometric approaches to analyze flower shape data, helping to run the lab, and supporting his labmates’ research. Away from lab, he enjoys hiking, hunting, fishing, and crocheting.
Marly Stewart
Marly is an undergraduate student majoring in Biology and English. She joined the lab in the spring of 2025. In the lab, she is currently testing whether bee- vs. hummingbird-adapted penstemon species show differences in pollen:ovule ratios. In her free time, she enjoys reading and music.
Jackson Weinstein
Jackson Weinstein is an undergraduate student in the lab. He currently is majoring in Biological Sciences as the class of 2028 with a broad interest in the plant sciences. In the lab, Jackson investigates the intrapopulation color variation within the Penstemon putus species. Outside of school, he likes playing soccer and being in the great outdoors.