Mike Barker

I'm recruiting PhD students for the Barker Lab @uofa-eeb.bsky.social We study plant evolutionary genomics - polyploidy, hybridization & machine learning for genome evolution. Work with Selaginella, Xanthisma, Brassica & more. Funding available via CAMBIUM Fellowships. Reach out if interested! 🧬🌵🤖

An attempt to explain what this does, using a simple case. How much 'tangle' in a synteny plot comes how we chose to order chromosomes, and how much is unavoidable because it represents accurate crossings in the data? 1/

Come join us @uofa-eeb.bsky.social in Tucson!

Based at the University of Arizona, the Arizona Genomics Institute offers genomic services including DNA/RNA extraction, whole-genome, transcriptome, 16S, and metagenome sequencing to researchers worldwide. Learn more: genome.arizona.edu 🌵 Visit AGI at Booth #416 at #Botany2026!

The Careers in Botany Panel fills up every year, and #Botany2026 is no exception. The panel is at capacity, but we want to introduce the ten botanists giving their time to talk with students and postdocs about how they built their careers. Sunday, Aug 2, 3:30 to 5:00 pm

Registration is OPEN for #Botany2026 – Biodiversity at the Boundaries, August 1-5 in Tucson, AZ! – Early-Registration Deadline: Apr 30 – Abstract Deadline: Apr 13 – BSA Travel Awards Deadline: Mar 15 – BSA Sectional Student Travel Awards Deadline: Apr 1 www.botanyconference.org www.botany.org

DEADLINE IN 2 WEEKS 🌿SPECIAL ISSUE CALL FOR PAPERS🌿 #AppsPlantSci invites proposals for “Plant genome skimming: Special uses and future potential,” led by Quentin Cronk, Nolan Kane & Kyle Keepers. More info at botany.org/home/publica... #botany #phylogenetics #genomics #plantscience

Nominations are open for the BSA Impact Award! This award honors a BSA member, group, or institution whose work expands access, strengthens community, and improves practices in botanical research and education. Nomination Deadline: May 1, 2026 Learn more, here: botany.org/home/awards/...

New online! Evolutionary causes and consequences of gene duplication

New paper out: “allopatric” Drosophila species aren’t so allopatric after all. We show that most currently allopatric species pairs probably overlapped in the past and exchanged genes at levels similar to sympatric pairs. @evolletters.bsky.social doi.org/10.1093/evle... [1/6]

This is a disaster. I would not be where I am today without the constructive (and yes, sometimes frustrating) reviews my NSF proposals received as a young investigator. This feedback didn't come from the POs but rather the peer reviewers and panelists who saw how I was trying to enter the field

Differential expression of flavonoid biosynthetic pathway genes drives the production of transgressive pigments in #Nicotiana section Repandae allotetraploids New #AJB research by @emccnicotiana.bsky.social, @jlandisbotany.bsky.social, et al. doi.org/10.1002/ajb2... #botany #polyploidy

Virtual workshop on #genomics analysis for #RadSeq - spaces available still for next week - Dec 16-18th! Live instruction by @noahreid.bsky.social Learn QC through data analysis using common #bioinformatic tools - #Stacks #Freebayes @uconnresearch.bsky.social @cbcuconn.bsky.social

Fascinated to learn that we are still discovering new species at the highest rate ever. Mapping Earth's biodiversity is far from over, and while we learn more and more about it, let's protect what we do know as well as we can! www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Our plant-focused REU program, led by Prof Nagel, is open for applications, please forward to undergrads and reskeet etap.nsf.gov/award/7573/o... 🌱 🧪

Check out our review/perspective piece on phylogenetic diversification analysis, intended for the 75th anniversary of @systbiol.bsky.social. I had the privilege of working with great coauthors, @fhenaodiaz.bsky.social, @tvasconcelos.bsky.social and @roszenil.bsky.social! doi.org/10.1093/sysb...

Aaah! New preprint from the Sethuraman Lab has dropped! Tamsen and I have been working on this for a while, and we can’t wait for your feedback. Short thread on our swanky new polyploid genome simulator, DemographiKs, and its functionality.

New paper just posted with @rschley.bsky.social et al: doi.org/10.1111/nph.... (1/n)

I have a new preprint demonstrating a genome-architecture-aware approach to inferring species trees and introgression landscapes from a small number of genomes. If you are interested in phylogenomics, birds, or hybridization, this is for you! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Last chance to register for Ciencia en Español! There will be a hybrid option too. uarizona.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

Please pass along - We've extended the CAMBIUM fellowship deadline to December 15! Our NSF NRT supports new grad students to harness biodiversity big data to adapt to & mitigate climate change impacts. Great fit for evolutionary genomics, bioinformatics, ecology & more. cambium.arizona.edu 🧬🌐🌎

BSA’s 2026 awards cycle is now open! Kaplan Lecture, Corresponding Member, two $10k dissertation awards, and Graduate Student Research Awards—all with early 2026 deadlines. Join or renew now to be eligible and take advantage of these opportunities. www.botany.org/home/awards.html #BSAawards

Enjoyed a hike at Tucson Mountain Park on a beautiful day in Tucson after rain the last few days!

I am hiring a postdoc to examine the genomic and evolutionary basis of plant microbiome variation in legumes. There are opportunities to gain teaching experience. Chicago is a great city to live in! Please help spread the word. share.google/gukbzS1zdIx6...

This new work investigates rhizotaxy on 3 rhizomorphic lycopsids including the unusual Mississippian-aged Oxroadia. We highlight the development of rhizotaxy on a juvenile Oxroadia as well as on the extant Isoetes. If you’re interested check out academic.oup.com/aob/advance-... @annbot.bsky.social

#UBC Botany is hiring an Assistant Professor in Non-Seed Plant Diversity - come work with us in beautiful #Vancouver, BC! Please repost! academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/31140

Happening today! Join us to learn more about CAMBIUM NRT Fellowships!

Join us on Nov 18 at 2:30 PM MST to learn about CAMBIUM grad fellowships in biodiversity informatics & climate change @uarizona.bsky.social. For incoming Fall 2026 students interested in big data, ecology, evolution, climate adaptation & more. Register: events.trellis.arizona.edu/en/f44lNu67/... 🌵🧬🌐

Dogs have been part of human culture for far longer than previously thought based on genomic evidence from @lachiescarsbrook.bsky.social and team. Great read. www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

🌱 From PNAS: Meristem layers mutate at different rates, with the germline-forming L2 protected and the L1 evolving faster. (Kirk R. Amundson, Mohan P. A. Marimuthu, Oanh Nguyen, Konsam Sarika, Isabelle J. DeMarco, Angelina Phan, Isabelle M. Henry, and Luca Comai) ▶️ www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

NEW pub in @science.org 🥳 Is it sponges (panels A & B) or comb jellies (C & D) that root the animal tree of life? For over 15 years, #phylogenomic studies have been divided. We provide new evidence suggesting that... 🔗: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Phylogenetic patterns over sixty-five years of vegetation change across a montane elevation gradient https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.11.07.687265v1

If you're interested in working with me on a master's or PhD with questions related to genomics, biodiversity, and climate change, I'd love to chat about the CAMBIUM fellowship! There's an informational webinar next week and applications are due December 1st.

Applications due by Dec. 1

www.nature.com/articles/s42... Latest from the lab. The conclusion is in the title! Basically, we found that the KMN complex (outer kinetochore) is fully conserved between plants and fungi/animals, showing deep origin. (reminder, you are closer to a mushroom than a mushroom is to a plant.)

Our latest paper has just been published in Cell! doi.org/10.1016/j.ce... We developed a new method called MCC ultra, which allows 3D chromatin structure to be visualised with a 1 base pair pixel size.

The #FindThatLizard Scholarship is accepting applications until 12/10. We fund girls, women, and gender non conforming persons pursuing herpetology🦎🐍🐸🐢 I can’t wait to read your application! earynmcgee.com/findthatliza...

Night blooming cactus on my evening walk in Tucson tonight!

Warning. ⚠️ If you are writing an NSF GRFP, new this year, you need official transcripts to apply. Beware. They will not review applications without official transcripts. ‼️

Symbiotic diversification relies on an ancestral gene network in plants doi.org/10.1101/2025...

Applications are currently being accepted for UBC's ✨️ Biodiversity Postdoctoral Fellowship ✨️ (two positions!!), due Jan. 15 Please share far and wide 🚀 (See thread)

Join us on Nov 18 at 2:30 PM MST to learn about CAMBIUM grad fellowships in biodiversity informatics & climate change @uarizona.bsky.social. For incoming Fall 2026 students interested in big data, ecology, evolution, climate adaptation & more. Register: events.trellis.arizona.edu/en/f44lNu67/... 🌵🧬🌐

The CAMBIUM NSF NRT is recruiting PhD students @uarizona.bsky.social! Fellowships for interdisciplinary training in biodiversity big data to adapt to & mitigate climate change impacts. Great fit for evolutionary genomics, bioinformatics, plant adaptation, ecology & more. cambium.arizona.edu 🧬🌐🌎

Check out the recent publication in Annual Reviews of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics where the authors explore genomic species delimitation in depth. You'll see a number of #sciart figures I created to help explain some of the concepts! www.annualreviews.org/content/jour...

Our group is recruiting again, looking for motivated PhD/MS students and a postdoc! Please share widely and read below for more info and get in touch if you're interested.

Genome assembly fresh of the supercomputer, total size = 29,892,519,935 base pairs 🦎🧬