Michelle Gaynor
NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow In Biology at University of Michigan
Gainesville, Florida, United States
Summary
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Senior🎓
Top SchoolMichelle Gaynor is an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Biology at the University of Michigan who combines computational botany, evolutionary biology, and data science to study the evolution and ecology of flowering plants. With a PhD in Botany from the University of Florida, she has eight years of research experience modeling whole-genome duplication dynamics, population genetics, and climatic niche evolution, illustrated by dissertation case studies on Larrea tridentata and Galax urceolata. She is adept at leveraging natural history collections and digitized biodiversity data for both research and education, having contributed tools and resources as an iDigBio graduate research assistant. Michelle’s work blends mathematical simulation and empirical field studies, reflecting a rare comfort across theory, computation, and specimen-based science. Based in Gainesville, FL, she is building an independent research trajectory that emphasizes the persistence of mixed-cytotype autopolyploid populations and translating collection-based data into broader ecological insight.
8 years of coding experience
6 years of employment as a software developer
Bachelor of Science (BS), Biology, Bachelor of Science (BS), Biology at University of Central FloridaDoctor of Philosophy - PhD, Botany, Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Botany at University of Florida
Github Skills (29)
biodiversity-informatics10
rcpparmadillo9
r-package9
genetics9
expectation-maximization9
biodiversity9
population-genetics9
rcpp9
open-access9
api8
evolution8
commons8
rmarkdown6
r6
traits4
Programming languages (7)
Github contributions (5)
mgaynor1/PaleoGenerate
Sep 2021 - Aug 2022
Contributions:26 commits, 3 pushes in 11 months
mgaynor1/AutoPop
Mar 2023 - Feb 2025
Contributions:1 release, 6 pushes, 1 tag in 1 year 10 months
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