The Plant Press

From The Plant Press, Vol. 29, No. 1, January 2026.

New Faces

Amrutha Athalappil, a post-doctoral fellow from India, joined the Department of Botany in September for six months under the supervision of Jun Wen. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of Calicut, India, where she conducted taxonomic and molecular studies on Leea (Vitales) in India. At the National Museum of Natural History, her research focuses on a global phylogenomic study of Leea, an early diverged lineage in the grape order Vitales. The proposed work will provide a more accurate phylogeny of the genus and explore its major clades in order to establish a framework for its phylogenetic classification. In addition, her study will evaluate the relationship between Leea and members of the grape family Vitaceae through a systematic approach.

Lucile Jourdain, a Peter Buck Postdoctoral Fellow, joined the Department of Botany for a two-year appointment under the supervision of Laurence J. Dorr and Kenneth J. Wurdack. Her project, “A post-Gondwanan radiation in the paleotropics: phylogenomics and biogeography of Grewia L. (Malvaceae) with a focus on Madagascar,” applies next-generation sequencing (NGS) approaches—particularly capture enrichment—to reconstruct a robust phylogenomic framework and unravel the evolutionary history of this diverse group. In addition, the study examines key morphological traits related to pollination and seed dispersal, shedding light on the adaptive strategies within the genus. By combining phylogenomics, morphology, and biogeographical analyses, this research advances the taxonomy and evolutionary understanding of the Grewioideae and contributes to broader efforts to conserve Madagascar’s unique biodiversity.

Angélica Quintanar Castillo is a Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program (SIFP) Fellow working with Jun Wen. She is a Ph.D. student at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) under the supervision of Marcelo Pace, a former member of the NMNH community. Her research focuses on the evolution of the vascular system in lianas that grow across contrasting environments, using the grape family (Vitaceae) as a study group. Her work integrates detailed anatomical studies and phylogenetic perspectives to explore how structural traits of the vascular system have evolved and contributed to the remarkable diversity and wide distribution of the family. Through this integrative approach, she seeks to understand which anatomical features have facilitated the success of liana lineages across diverse and sometimes extreme environments. Her investigations in plant anatomy involve collecting and analyzing stem samples from cultivated specimens in the greenhouses at the Museum Support Center (MSC) in Maryland. Her work in the Anatomy Lab will focus on describing the structural diversity of the vascular system across species to broaden the taxonomic and anatomical scope of her ongoing project. Her academic journey has always been deeply rooted in plant anatomy, from her undergraduate studies on fossil woods, to her work on the vascular ontogeny of Malpighiaceae lianas, and now to her exploration of anatomical diversity and adaptation in Vitaceae. She is excited to join the Botany Department community, where she looks forward to learning from ongoing research in the Anatomy Lab and to expanding her understanding of the evolutionary pathways that have shaped lianas’ unique vascular systems.

Caroline Terlecki is the newest member of the Collections Management Team within the Department of Botany. In her new position as Museum Specialist, she will be working with Erika Gardner and Meghann Toner to maintain herbarium specimens and equipment as well as participate in engagement and outreach activities. She received her master’s degree in museum studies with a concentration in Collections Management from George Washington University in 2023. Prior to her new position, she was a contractor for the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History, working on projects such as moving the Invertebrate Zoology dry specimen mollusk collection and updating the taxonomy of botany specimens in the herbarium. During her time as a contractor in Botany, she began to truly appreciate global plant diversity, which led to a larger passion for learning more about plant life. Before transitioning to the world of museums, she spent about 20 years in the live events industry working on concerts, conferences, trade shows, awards ceremonies, and more in the Washington, DC area.